Fri. April 4, 2025 – Hey Boo Boo, let’s go get some pick a nick baskets…

By on April 4th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Another day like the last two. Warm, damp, threatening rain. Windy. Grey. I’ve been moody the last several days and I think at least part of it is the lack of sunny days. It would be nice to have an itsy bitsy spider day…

I did get a couple of things done yesterday. In the morning I fixed one of the TVs I have laying around… I’d bought the boards a couple of years ago in an auction for a dollar or two, but couldn’t remember where I put them. I saw them in my storage unit the other day, while picking up something else, so I grabbed them and got one thing off my list. The TV is going to the dockhouse at the BOL, which will get another thing off my list. Got a couple of other small things done too.

Then I had a meeting with one of my auctioneers. Well, really I just went to get my money for some consignment items he sold for me, and chat. Turns out they are changing their focus from returns auctions to estate auctions… and I’ve got the kind of stuff they will be selling sitting in piles pretty much everywhere. We’ll work something out and I’ll have a new place to consign items and finally start moving some of this stuff again.

Their rent has been killing them, and they have been paying more for stock as there are new players bidding up the wholesale part of the business. It’s been a truism in the resale auction market for as long as I’ve been doing it that when prices go up, it’s because new people and new money are coming in. It happens on the retail buyer’s side, and on the wholesale buyer (the seller) side. The new players don’t understand they are paying too much, or they know but feel they have to to get stock. On the buyer’s side, the new buyers are happy to pay more because they are still getting a good deal, but they don’t understand that it’s usually an even better deal. It’s a bit more nuanced than that, but it explains why pricing moves in waves. It’s self correcting over time. The buyers become more picky about what they’ll pay and what they’ll buy, and the auctioneers that pay too much for stock go broke and get out of the business.

Anyway, today I’m doing a pickup in the afternoon, mostly stuff for my non-prepping hobby. I’m debating whether to spend the morning doing stuff around the house, since I intend to head to the BOL later tonight or early tomorrow, or do a quick trip to my client’s house to install the new theater receiver. I am leaning toward taking care of my client, but doing the house stuff takes care of my wife… money or marital guilt units? Which do I need more?

BTW, I’m feeling the effects of crawling around in the attic and pulling cable. My arms, shoulders, and lats are all sore. I’m old and weak… poor me…

I should stack up some more stretching and maybe a workout.

I’ll add it to the list.

Stack something.

nick

67 Comments and discussion on "Fri. April 4, 2025 – Hey Boo Boo, let’s go get some pick a nick baskets…"

  1. brad says:

    I should stack up some more stretching and maybe a workout.

    Some years ago I bought a home gym, a bench, and I also have a bunch of dumbbells of different weights. It all takes up only a corner of a room – really not much space. Anyway: at least 2-3 times per week, I spend about 30 minutes working out. Not aiming for any gains, just maintenance. No pauses between exercises (hence the different dumbbells – no changing plates), so there’s some cardio benefit as well. Finish off with a bit of stretching.

    I really do not enjoy working out. I started, because I was having some lower back pains. Those are pretty much gone. It also helps a lot with joints in general, for example, the knee I ripped out 15 years ago is rarely a problem. Overall, the general feeling of wellness that this brings is enough to motivate me to do it.

  2. Nick Flandrey says:

    @brad, I’ve never really worked out for any length of time, other than martial arts.   I did some nautilus gym in high school when I won a free membership.    I spent part of a summer working out every day with a pole vaulter, and got huge.  Don’t want to do that again.   I’ve made vague promises to got back to stretching and martial arts over the years but haven’t.   I’m starting to feel my years though and recognize that I really will have to try harder than what I’ve been doing.

    ————

    76F and coffee is brewing.   I’m tired.   Just the little bit of extra caffeine changed my schedule last night, and made it harder to go to bed.   I know better, but forget to care sometimes.

    ————

    I’m leaning toward “visit client” today, but could still change.

    n

  3. ITGuy1998 says:

    BTW, I’m feeling the effects of crawling around in the attic and pulling cable. My arms, shoulders, and lats are all sore. I’m old and weak… poor me…

    Getting older sucks.

    I’m creating a new bed in the backyard around our big maple tree and other plants. We are using stone (1″-2″ mostly) for cover, instead of mulch. I had 7 cubic yards delivered on Wednesday. I started yesterday evening. I alternate between putting down weed barrier and moving stone. My goal is to be done moving stone by Saturday if my body survives.

  4. drwilliams says:

    This spring I get the bike out for sure. 

  5. Nick Flandrey says:

    @lynn, not your neighbor, but apparently messing with dinosaurs is widespread…

    Instant karma as man yanks 10ft croc’s tail 

    n

  6. Ray Thompson says:

    Ask Mr @Ray about disappearing iOS files. IIRC he’s had this happen to him.

    Only on thumb drives that were full. Files disappearing from the internal storage has never happened to me. There is an option in system settings → storage that controls removal of movies that have not been accessed. These movies are purchased from Apple and can be downloaded again.

    My suspicion is that at some point MacOS was reinstalled and wiped stuff. Just a guess. The other option is that the files are buried somewhere deep where only MacOS knows. Using Spotlight to search for a name may help and that will at least get the location of the folder where the files are located.

    I have been burnt once, I suspect most of us have, of not having an adequate backup of files. Some stuff I can afford to lose, I will not be happy, but the files are not critical. Stuff that is critical I store in the cloud, two different providers, and on an external thumb drive. I also do regular backups of my Mac on Time Machine and keep my Windows Arm virtual machine file backed up to a thumb drive.

  7. Ray Thompson says:

    I see where Orange Man has placed all the markets in correction territory. A 3K point drop in the DOW in just two days. I don’t know why Orange Man thought that the other countries would not retaliate against his tariffs. There must be something about global economics that is beyond my comprehension and knowledge.

    The DOW is now below 40K and I suspect will drop even lower. The DOW at 30K is not out of the question if this trend continues. The DOW may even lose 50% of its all time high. This is not going to go well for investors, 401Ks and people on fixed income. Prices are going to go up by 30% or more while retirement funds are going to substantially falter.

    I feel that Orange Man and his ego are going to place this country into deep recession. 1929 will repeat itself. While Orange Man brags about making the country great. Soup lines, high prices, the world pissed off at the US is not being great.

  8. Greg Norton says:

    My suspicion is that at some point MacOS was reinstalled and wiped stuff. Just a guess. The other option is that the files are buried somewhere deep where only MacOS knows. Using Spotlight to search for a name may help and that will at least get the location of the folder where the files are located.

    The new-ish Apple file system which Mac OS X has required for SSDs going back to … Yosemite? … makes me nervous. Linux still doesn’t seem to have reliable support to read the format.

  9. Ray Thompson says:

    The new-ish Apple file system which Mac OS X has required for SSDs going back to … Yosemite?

    I use FAT32 formatted external SSDs (1 and 2 TB) to transfer files between my PC and my Mac. Only the internal SSD and any SSD from which MacOS can boot (includes external) require the special MacOS formatting.

  10. MrAtoz says:

    The thing has more potential settings than an old school joy stick and I can’t find them anywhere.

    Perhaps the driver is not installed and the mouse is working with a generic driver. My Windows gaming PC has a Alienware mouse attached. The driver lets me adjust all kinds of settings. Same with the Alienware keyboard. The driver settings show up in the tray.

  11. MrAtoz says:

    On MacOS. Pics and vid/movie folders are buried kind of deep. Maybe your photos were imported into the Photos application when you were installing. Maybe search for some jpgs and see where they are hiding. There is a setting where you can have the Finder show the hiearchy of where a file is located.

  12. MrAtoz says:

    I use FAT32 formatted external SSDs

    I’ve been using ExFAT for years with no problem on external SSDs. We have to bring drives to many presentations and we’ve never had a problem with ExFAT being read.

  13. MrAtoz says:

    I feel that Orange Man and his ego are going to place this country into deep recession. 1929 will repeat itself. While Orange Man brags about making the country great. Soup lines, high prices, the world pissed off at the US is not being great.

    I think it is to soon to predicte anything. Give it six months. I guess most of us have our assets in digits. No intrinsic value. Maybe I should take out my remaining IRA in gold/silver. 

    Maybe this guy is right:

    Finance guru Bill Ackman’s stern advice to world leaders reeling from Trump’s tariffs amid fears of trade war

    I don’t think 1929 applies. The US wasn’t that powerful back then and many countries will use the Art of the Deal and shake hands with tRump.

    Plus, if Apple really build a gadget plant in the US, all will be fine. LOL

    4
    1
  14. drwilliams says:

    @ITGuy1998

    If the stone is not right there, find a guy with a bobcat. 

  15. Greg Norton says:

    I see where Orange Man has placed all the markets in correction territory. A 3K point drop in the DOW in just two days. I don’t know why Orange Man thought that the other countries would not retaliate against his tariffs. There must be something about global economics that is beyond my comprehension and knowledge.

    Most of the rest of the world has a very thin line before real social unrest starts in response to economic changes, even in the theme park countries of the EU. 

  16. drwilliams says:

    I saw a video short the other day. Forgot to bookmark it. Guy was speaking somewhere, held iup a Apple iPhone 14, and asked for guesses on manufacturing costs. One guess was $100. Another was an unspecified less than $100. He claimed $10. 

    1
    1
  17. MrAtoz says:

    He claimed $10. 

    Maybe he meant labor?

  18. brad says:

    I think it is to soon to predicte anything. Give it six months.

    I agree. Trump is chaotic as hell, but there is some method to his madness. Taking Switzerland as an example: He has announced massive tariffs, which seemingly make little sense, since Switzerland imposes almost no tarifss. But one thinks back, and remembers that Switzerland has refused to drop tariffs in one area: agricultural goods. Farmers here are a stupidly powerful lobby. Many of us think that there is a direct relationship: Likely Trump wants the agricultural tariffs removed.

    Maybe that’s it, maybe not, but there is something that he wants. Presumably some back-channel communication will tell us what it is. Then, also presumably, the diplomats can discuss it like adults, without Trump in the room.

    2
    1
  19. Ray Thompson says:

    Pine pollen is rampant today. The red truck has a significant yellow tint. Ugh.

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    @ray, something is going to crash the economy.  We’ve been talking about it here for a long time. 

       Might be trump, but he doesn’t control the market or the Fed.  All the Fed (some unelected guys running a cabal) needs to do is raise interest rates a couple of points.   They are probably holding that in reserve, or as a threat.

    Remember the first time trump talked about imposing tariffs?   The MSM was boiling with anti tariff rhetoric, including most of the leaders of europe.   Then he said, “OK I hate tariffs, let’s remove them all.”   – Suddenly the euro voices said, “OH NOES, WE need tariffs.”   and the cat was out of the bag, so the MSM was suddenly silent on the issue.

    The guy Peter excerpts seems to have the right of it, Trump is dismantling Brenton Woods.  https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-real-impact-of-president-trumps.html 

    https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/i/160491111/world-news-and-commentary 

    Deep in the EO’s dense substance were two key paragraphs that everyone else has so far missed. They give Trump unilateral power to adjust every single tariff, country by country, based on how they respond. If a country drops its trade barriers, Trump can lower the tariff. If they retaliate or drag their feet, he can crank their tariff higher.

    Trump has total control. It’s a combination pressure button and baseball bat.

    Simply put, the EO created an executive tariff dashboard and put Trump in charge. He now holds leverage over every single country in the world. They can either start playing fair, or they can pay dearly for access to the American market— the world’s biggest buyer. It’s up to them. Trump is now holding all the cards.

    For the first time in decades, the international trade negotiation table is flipped around. The pressure is no longer on us to “liberalize.” The pressure is on them to play fair. And Trump made it clear in his speech: he plans to use that leverage — relentlessly, one country at a time.

    – he wasn’t elected to continue along the same path.   He was elected to make CHANGES.   And he’s trying.

    The world didn’t try to prevent any of the past half dozen Presidents from taking office, or try to kill them to prevent them taking office.   They didn’t make up dossiers, or change state law to allow non-crimes to become crimes.  They are TERRIFIED of change, and they don ‘t have leverage over the orangeman.  At this time they’ve tried everything short of kidnapping or killing family members.    They may have tried that, and we don’t know, some have changed their minds and involvement.  Ivanka was rewarded with puff pieces about how good she looks, how tasteful her lifestyle is…just for sitting out.  Remember what a HUGE change that represents?

    I don’t  think the way things were going was sustainable or good.  Neither did millions, 10s of millions, of other people.   So I’m happy to see the attempt at change anyway.

    n

    6
    1
  21. EdH says:

    Dragon splashdown off Southern California in a bit.

  22. MrAtoz says:

    Might be trump, but he doesn’t control the market or the Fed.

    The Fed, IRS, Treasury are all involved in driving inflation.  Cutting spending, budgets, personel are the only way to get the FUSA solvent. I view the tariff EO as fairness. Do it now or let our chillin’s suffer. It’s all about the chillin’s. LOL.

    And, the tRump tAriffs have delayed the Nintendo Switch 2 launch.

    WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!

    5
    1
  23. Nick Flandrey says:

    Hah, did a quick check of the reporting and the markets.

    Americans watch in horror as savings are WIPED OUT as Wall Street chaos sees trillions more dollars evaporate

    By DANIEL JONES, CONSUMER EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    Published: 09:31 EDT, 4 April 2025 | Updated: 11:13 EDT, 4 April 2025 

    US stocks crashed again on Friday as it looks increasingly likely that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will cause a global recession.

    It came after China imposed fresh tariffs on all US goods in response to the Trump’s sweeping levies, escalating a global trade war.

    For the second day in a row, trillions of dollars was wiped off the value of US stocks — a blow that will also hit ordinary Americans whose retirement savings, including 401(K) are tied to the market. 

    — you can’t hate them enough.   “Savings” are not “wiped out”.  Money in the casinos was reduced by tiny percentages.  EVERY exchange I looked at is still up from even just a year ago.   All the charts with the dramatic lines are one day.   The 5 year charts are much less dramatic.

    When the banks fail, and the deal is 45c on the dollar, then “savings” will be wiped out.   Fortunately, the same reporters are usually frothing that most Americans don’t even have enough savings to meet a $500 unexpected bill, so most won’t be affected.

    Interesting, try to get an answer to “how many weeks in the last five years did the major market indices change by more than 3%”  or even “what is the average weekly change in stock markets”  from google’s AI.   Those are exactly the sort of question that an AI should be able to answer.  Data driven, well constrained.  Simple facts.

    n

    And it looks like the price of oil has fallen too, which means lower gas prices, and lower transportation cost for goods.   Remember $5/gallon diesel, headed to $6?

    7
    1
  24. Nick Flandrey says:

    I did find this.

    https://www.financialsamurai.com/average-daily-percent-move-of-the-stock-market/ 

    Average Daily Percent Move Of The Stock Market: S&P Volatility Returns

    31 Comments / By Financial Samurai / 02/14/2025

    The average daily percent move of the stock market has increased over time. The reason for the increase in stock market volatility is mainly due to technology and the speed in which information moves and trades are executed. In the past, information moved more slowly, thereby affecting stock prices more slowly.

    Today, it’s much more common to have “flash crashes,” where stocks hit an air pocket and take a dive. You should expect to see 5%+ corrections multiple times a year. Then, there are days where stocks melt up thanks to algorithmic trading and lightning fast information transfer.

    In March 2020, the S&P 500 plunged by 32% from peak to trough in one month! Then, within several months, the S&P 500 gained back all its losses. In 2023, tech stocks have rebounded by over 50% in six short months.

    \

    interesting graphic there.

    n

  25. Nick Flandrey says:

    Same guy, further down.  Emphasis added.

    Month and a half ago…

    7) 2024 Stock Market Strength

    The S&P 500 and Nasdaq performed well in 2024, closing up 23% and 29%, respectively. However, both experienced another 5%+ correction from their 2024 highs. This is just the way things go. If you invest in growth stocks, like NVIDIA, you saw a 20% correction from its 2024 high.

    Now, with Trump as the next president, volatility in the stock market will likely return. Trump is known for doing a lot of saber-rattling, which tends to roil markets. This is his last term and he’s likely going to be really aggressive in implementing change. From raising tariffs to kicking out criminal illegal immigrants to forcing rates down, he is going to disrupt and cause more volatility.

    As a result, I suspect more money will flow into less volatility, income-generating assets like real estate to help preserve capital. 

    n

  26. Greg Norton says:

    And, the tRump tAriffs have delayed the Nintendo Switch 2 launch.

    WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!

    A lot of arbitrage opportunity is anticipated with Switch 2.

    The Supreme Court decision regarding student loans ended the arbitrage market for the last generation of Switch and Playstation consoles.

  27. Greg Norton says:

    As a result, I suspect more money will flow into less volatility, income-generating assets like real estate to help preserve capital. 

    Until the Texas Legislature adjourns the current session without passing additional property tax “reform” and craters the real estate market in the state.

  28. Nick Flandrey says:

    craters the real estate market in the state.  

    With half a million people a year moving here, most from higher cost states, it would take a full on disaster to crater the market.

    Maybe 3-4 point raise in the prime rate…

    There is so much multifamily being built, and that will all be rentals, that there is a huge cushion in the market.   The size of the new home developments is breathtaking.   That money is already committed, and spent, so those places will be built…

    n

  29. Nick Flandrey says:

    Another take

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-14568815/Trump-tariff-trade-war-KEVIN-OLEARY.html 

    What the president is doing has never been done before. Gone are the days of the United States negotiating trade deals one-by-one, allowing trading partners to extract piecemeal concessions.

    Trump has essentially declared one giant global renegotiation – and I anticipate that every trade delegation from every country will soon be lining up in Washington for talks. For no leader wants their country to be the hold-out barred from the world’s largest economy.

    Ironically, Trump’s trade war may be the only real path to zero tariffs for all… that’s free trade.

    – that’s the same point the guy Peter quoted made, no more piecemeal, no more back and forth over details and exceptions, no secret back rooms, no carve outs for the grifters.

    n

    4
    1
  30. Nick Flandrey says:

    Ha ha.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14572133/Rachel-Zegler-George-Clooney-Broadway-woke-box-office-bomb-Snow-White.html 

    The $270million film, which hit theaters on March 21, is on track to become a box office flip [– probably meant “flop” -n] after it garnered just $42.2 million domestically on opening weekend.

    As of this week, Snow White — who also stars Gal Gadot — has currently taken in $66.9 million at the domestically after two weekends and $142.7 million worldwide.

    The interns were bad enough, but is DM now outsourcing writing to india?  Or is it just that fashion writers are so far down the totem pole that their english might as well be a second language?

    Her dress was emblazoned with an eye-catching lip print that she teamed with a pair of towering black platform heels and chic clutch.

    The stunner , who forwent a necklace to let the outfit speak for itself, sported glam make-up and wore her raven tresses straight. 

    And clowney looks like Lurch.

    n

  31. Ken Mitchell says:

    There is so much multifamily being built, and that will all be rentals, that there is a huge cushion in the market.   The size of the new home developments is breathtaking.

    Here in “Far West” San Antonio, the speed and scope of the new construction that is ALREADY underway isn’t “breathtaking”; it is terrifying.  Far west Bexar county lacks the road infrastructure to support the new housing that’s already being occupied, LET ALONE what is already framed out and under construction.  There are only three roads heading west from the 1604 loop, and by 3:30 PM, all of them are bumper to bumper with going-home traffic. 

    I’m retired, and we bought an older house in what USED TO BE a very rural area, only five years ago. We could drive in to the suburbs, do some shopping, have dinner, and then head home. Driving 3 miles west on Wiseman Blvd took perhaps 10 minutes. Now, that 3 miles takes 45 minutes to an hour during “rush hour”, and they are building more housing all around us, and even FURTHER west, which will gridlock those few roads. 

    There are already plans to widen those 4-lane roads to 8 lanes, but that will take MANY years, and tie up traffic EVEN WORSE while that construction takes place.

  32. Ray Thompson says:

    Here in “Far West” San Antonio, the speed and scope of the new construction that is ALREADY underway isn’t “breathtaking”; it is terrifying.

    When I moved to San Antonio in 1973, I-410 was just two lanes each direction, 1604 was one lane each direction, I-35had no upper deck, the Live Oak Exit was a simple off ramp, Pat Booker Rd was half empty. When I was there in March I hardly recognize the area. That new intersection at Live Oak, elevated, and huge, is just amazing. That area used to sort of rural, not it is multiple developments, apartments, and all manner of businesses.

  33. Lynn says:

    “American woman who stabbed migrant to death during sexual assault acted in self-defense, German court told”

        https://rmx.news/article/american-woman-who-stabbed-migrant-to-death-during-sexual-assault-acted-in-self-defense-german-court-told/

    “”She was terrified. My client only intended to make him let her go,” said the 20-year-old’s lawyer”

    Stay out of blue countries and blue states.  If you defend yourself then they will prosecute you and throw you in jail for life.

    Hat tip to:

       https://thelibertydaily.com/

    6
    1
  34. Lynn says:

    The alleged murderer of the high school student (an amish student from another school) is claiming self defense now.
       https://www.chron.com/news/article/stabbing-texas-track-meet-20258749.php

       https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14572851/dad-football-star-austin-metcalf-killer-karmelo-anthony-track-meet.html

    I ain’t buying it.

  35. Lynn says:

    “Court Delivers Massive Blow to Famed Climate Scientist Who Sued Critics”

       https://thelibertydaily.com/court-delivers-massive-blow-famed-climate-scientist-who/

    DCNF)—A Washington, D.C., court rejected University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann’s bid to postpone his required payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to National Review on Thursday.”

    “The Superior Court of the District of Columbia ruled in January that Mann owes National Review approximately $530,000 to cover the outlet’s legal fees after spending more than a decade locked in defamation litigation against the organization, and Mann subsequently requested a stay to postpone the payments. On Thursday, the court denied Mann’s request, meaning that he will likely have to pony up cash to an outlet he once described in emails as a “threat to our children.””

    Good.  Bankrupt the guy for his lies.

    11
  36. Lynn says:

    “Is Netflix losing market share to another streamer?”

        https://thestreamable.com/streaming-market-shares-q1-2025

    “New data from JustWatch, which measures interest in streaming services quarter to quarter, shows Netflix is currently in second place.”

    “No matter which way you turn the prism that is the streaming marketplace, it seems that Netflix always comes out on top. The platform is the leader in global subscribers with over 300 million, is the most profitable streamer, as well. But new data from JustWatch, as reported by 9to5 Mac, shows that Netflix is losing out in one key statistic to a heavyweight opponent: Prime Video.”

    No way.

  37. Lynn says:

    “Warren Buffett defended his massive $300 billion cash pile in February. Now he doesn’t have to.”

        https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-defended-his-massive-300-billion-cash-pile-in-february-now-he-doesnt-have-to-174312496.html

    Buffett is waiting for a good deal in the market to buy another well run company.  He may get one now.

  38. Lynn says:

    I have been burnt once, I suspect most of us have, of not having an adequate backup of files. Some stuff I can afford to lose, I will not be happy, but the files are not critical. Stuff that is critical I store in the cloud, two different providers, and on an external thumb drive. I also do regular backups of my Mac on Time Machine and keep my Windows Arm virtual machine file backed up to a thumb drive.

    Never, never, never allow your backup software to delete files off your backup drives.  That way lies madness.

    However, that does not stop files that have been modified or damaged from overwriting the good file on the backup drive.  That requires you to archive backup drives.  I advocate archiving a backup drive every six months and buying a new backup drive.  At the office, I keep seven rotating backup drives, one gets updated each week.  So I have a backup from seven weeks ago at any time. And six weeks ago, five, four, three, two, and last week.

    I will be running the backup on the seven week old backup drive tonight.

    Paranoid, you bet. Murphy has been living on computers much longer than AI.

  39. Lynn says:

    “Warren Buffett defended his massive $300 billion cash pile in February. Now he doesn’t have to.”

        https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-defended-his-massive-300-billion-cash-pile-in-february-now-he-doesnt-have-to-174312496.html

    Buffett is waiting for a good deal in the market to buy another well run company.  He may get one now.

    BTW, Buffet’s number one rule in buying a company is that R&D is less than 10%.  That kills almost all high tech companies like Dell for him.

  40. Alan says:

    >>I really do not enjoy working out.

    Same here, but given that it helps with some of my neuro issues motivates me to get off my butt and to the gym about six out of seven days. Downloading some of the podcasts I like to listen to helps. And the older we get the harder it is to build / maintain muscle mass. 

  41. lpdbw says:

    The alleged murderer of the high school student (an amish student from another school) is claiming self defense now.

    Good.  Assuming the judge is not a PLT, nor the DA, self defense is an affirmative defense.  You admit up front that you did the illegal act, but you had justification, in a narrow list of circumstances.

    Fail to prove all the components of self defense, including Innocence, Imminence, Avoidance (except stand-your-ground states), Proportionality, and Reasonableness, and the judge can instruct the jury to find the killer guilty.

    I don’t imagine the Amish killer could meet any of the Innocnce, Imminence, Proportionality, or Reasonableness criteria, let alone all of them.

    The only way that could be is if the victim attacked the killer, unprovoked,  with a dealy weapon.  Those facts have not been introduced, and there’s no way the Demo-media would omit them.

  42. lpdbw says:

    About 10 days ago, I decided to see my kids in St. Louis this weekend. 

    I didn’t realize that would entail driving transversely  through a 1500 mile long storm front, with flooding and tornadoes.

    Leaving Arkadelphia yesterday, I encountered a lot of rain, some strong winds, and at least one thunderstorm.

    There were times I was heading NE towards light cloud cover, and felt lik Satan’s dark demons were crowding me from the South, West, and East.  Fleeing towards the light, I was.

    12
  43. Greg Norton says:

    BTW, Buffet’s number one rule in buying a company is that R&D is less than 10%.  That kills almost all high tech companies like Dell for him.

    HP and Dell lack a “moat”.

    Dell rolled the dice on a stash of H100 chips three years ago, but that could gave easily backfired.

    Plus that advantage is gone now.

  44. EdH says:

    Dug and moved 3 wheel barrows of dirt.   Well, dirt & decomposed bark.   

    My back is done for today.  If I get to feeling better maybe I will put down some bark later.

    It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.

  45. Alan says:

    >>https://www.chron.com/news/article/stabbing-texas-track-meet-20258749.php

    Just getting his entry form ready for the Amish Lottery. Civil suits to be filed en masse. 

    “I be did denided my Cybil ritez.” 

  46. Greg Norton says:

    PROOF that tRump’s tAriffs are working:

    Inverse Cramer Never Fails! Always Wrong CNBC Host Is BIG MAD About Trump Tariffs (That’s GOOD News)

    LMAO

    Cramer is a Dem party tool.

    Again, Cramer owes his whole career to Ted Bundy deciding that Tallahassee would be a good place to kill a girl.

  47. Alan says:

    >>There are already plans to widen those 4-lane roads to 8 lanes, but that will take MANY years, and tie up traffic EVEN WORSE while that construction takes place.

    There’s a saying in the road construction biz such that expanding a congested highway will just result in more traffic that will congest the new lanes. 

  48. Greg Norton says:

    Maybe 3-4 point raise in the prime rate…

    That wouldn’t be a disaster. That would be a start.

  49. drwilliams says:

    I’m sorry I got caught…

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/04/alleged-tesla-vandal-regrets-everything-when-confronted-by-owner/

    Multiple felonies. Confiscate the perp’s getaway vehicle.

  50. Greg Norton says:

    Who thinks a $3500 pricetag would truly be a deterrent to Apple selling iPhones?

    https://www.aol.com/finance/wall-streets-biggest-tech-bull-122638414.html

  51. Lynn says:

    And the older we get the harder it is to build / maintain muscle mass. 

    I have lost 17 lbs since last Nov 1.  I am wondering if I am losing muscle mass or fat.  

    I should start the old Aggie Corps breakfast workout:

    1. one hundred jumping jacks
    2. one hundred situps
    3. one hundred pushups

     

  52. Lynn says:

    “Fort Bend County Judge KP George accused of laundering over $30,000”

       https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/fort-bend-kp-george-money-laundering-20259530.php

    “Fort Bend County Judge KP George was charged with two counts of money laundering Friday, according to court records, prompting a response from George calling the investigation an “obvious political witch hunt.””

    “George, the county’s top elected official, faces two indictments accusing him of “criminal activity, namely wire fraud,” and “tampering with governmental record” in the form of a campaign finance report. Both charges were committed with “intent to defraud or harm,” the indictments allege.”

    “The alleged money laundering offenses account for more than $30,000 but less than $150,000 and took place between Jan. 12, 2019 and April 22, 2019. George took office as county judge on Jan. 1 of that year.”

    Sigh.  I suspect that there is lots more where that came from.  Just another day for an elected dumbrocrat.

  53. Lynn says:

    Who thinks a $3500 pricetag would truly be a deterrent to Apple selling iPhones?

    https://www.aol.com/finance/wall-streets-biggest-tech-bull-122638414.html

    Me thinks that I want to see the numbers from Apple.

  54. Nick Flandrey says:

    Picked up my stuff.  Hit a goodwill for some clothes for D2.   She and her friends on crew are doing some sort of Men in Black look for the show so she needs some black pants and a blazer.   We’ll see if I got sizes right.   Women’s clothing has at least 5 different sizing systems, and so I just go by eye.

    Picking up D1 in 20 minutes.

    Stopped home for a bathroom break and to waste time on the internet with my friends. 

    Dunno if I’ll try to head to the BOL today.  It’s stormy there, with a tornado warning.  I have stuff in the back of the truck that needs to be emptied before I can load.

    Didn’t go to my client’s place.  I think he’s out of town for the week, so no need to rush when I have other things to do.

    ———

    dang, didn ‘t hit submit;

    n

  55. Nick Flandrey says:

    I ended up bringing home three pairs of slacks and one blazer.  One of the three pairs fit D2 like a glove, ie FAR too well for dad’s comfort.   Another pair fit D1 so well she snatched them up.   The third pair was too big and cut funny.    The blazer was a bit too big for D2, but would have worked as a costume.   Fit D1 pretty well.   W pulled an old blazer out of the depths of the closet that fits D2 like it was made for her.    Kids are growing up too dang fast.

    $7 that won’t get worn out of 4 pieces is pretty good.

    Now I find out I need to get a white dress shirt for her too.  I thought she had that covered, but she was going with a camisole.   UH, NO!   Brat stole one of my ties to complete the outfit.

    They are the light of my life.

    n

  56. Greg Norton says:

    Me thinks that I want to see the numbers from Apple.

    Jabil makes Apple’s products overseas. They have facilities in St. Petersburg doing advanced DoD and medical boards near their HQ so populating the SMT components on the boards wouldn’t be a problem.

    The issues would be a source for the boards and the manual labor on the assembly line.

    Finding the labor 30 years ago for ~ $20/hr. wasn’t an issue. These days, no one wants to work in a factory.

    I worked for Jabil for about two weeks until the novelty of “real” EE work wore off. The really big problem was answering to the little troll line foreman who ran a lawn mower for a living prior to Jabil’s expansion to Florida in the 90s.

    Factory politics suck.

  57. Greg Norton says:

    “Fort Bend County Judge KP George was charged with two counts of money laundering Friday, according to court records, prompting a response from George calling the investigation an “obvious political witch hunt.””

    “George, the county’s top elected official, faces two indictments accusing him of “criminal activity, namely wire fraud,” and “tampering with governmental record” in the form of a campaign finance report. Both charges were committed with “intent to defraud or harm,” the indictments allege.”

    Subcontinent. Good luck getting rid of that if a critical mass of the demographic votes in the county.

    That’s another culture with serious Big Papi issues.

    Of course, my ex-brother-in-law is Big Papi, and he’s the whitest guy I know.

  58. Ken Mitchell says:

    There’s a saying in the road construction biz such that expanding a congested highway will just result in more traffic that will congest the new lanes. 

    Yes, because the developers who already building THIS tract of houses have more land another couple of miles FURTHER out, and when the roads can finally support these houses, they’ll be filing building permits for even MORE houses, FURTHER out. But much further out, and they’ll be in Medina County rather than Bexar County. And I’m not sure if Medina County would approve building permits for Bexar County traffic. 

  59. Lynn says:

    Subcontinent. Good luck getting rid of that if a critical mass of the demographic votes in the county.

    My son and I were looking at a new house for him today.  Just a half mile by crow or a full mile by vehicle from our house.  As we left the new house, a lady was walking down the sidewalk in a hijab.  Sigh.

  60. Lynn says:

    “Trump Scores a Big Win at the Supreme Court”

        https://pjmedia.com/chris-queen/2025/04/04/breaking-scotus-rules-that-trump-administration-can-freeze-dei-grants-to-teachers-n4938610

    “The Supreme Court has narrowly ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing administration officials to block millions of dollars in DEI-centered grants to teachers. The 5-4 ruling lifts a lower court’s order that allowed the Department of Education to continue issuing the grants in eight blue states that sued over the freezing of the grants.”

    ““The decision is not a final ruling in the case, and the dispute could ultimately return to the Supreme Court,” reports The Hill.”

    “Five of the justices on the conservative wing of the court ruled in favor of the administration, while Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissenting. (I know, shocker.)”

    John Roberts, you idiot !

  61. Lynn says:

    They are the light of my life.

    Yes, they are.  I keep on telling my son that kids are awesome but he just thinks about the tough days.  The fun days are way more than that.

    Now that they have discovered your closet, they will be back.  That is my experience. And W will encourage them.

  62. Nick Flandrey says:

    a lady was walking down the sidewalk in a hijab.  Sigh. 

    – I am shocked how many Ramadan decorations are in my neighborhood.   Nice to  self identify though.

    n

  63. Lynn says:

    a lady was walking down the sidewalk in a hijab.  Sigh. 

    – I am shocked how many Ramadan decorations are in my neighborhood.   Nice to  self identify though.

    n

    The muslim temple on the road to my house has been overflowing at night for the last several weeks. A bunch of men are out there trying to get everyone parked at the temple or along the road. 

    I am wondering how many people are paying jizyah to a muslim here in Houston ?  You know, to make themselves feel good about the invaders ?

  64. Lynn says:

    Subcontinent. Good luck getting rid of that if a critical mass of the demographic votes in the county.

    Only 40% of the county.  And more arriving by the day from California and Austin.

  65. Alan says:

    >>I’m sorry I got caught…

    How about “I’m really sorry with a cherry on top?” 

  66. Lynn says:

    “Microsoft scales back AI data center boom as China’s DeepSeek upends the market”

        https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-04-04-microsoft-scales-back-ai-data-center-boom-chinas-deepseek-upends-market.html

    “In a move signaling potential turbulence for the artificial intelligence investment frenzy, Microsoft has dramatically scaled back construction of AI data centers across the U.S., Europe, and Asia—including halted projects in Indonesia, the U.K., Australia, and multiple American states.”

    “The retreat, first reported by analysts at TD Cowen and later detailed by Bloomberg, comes as China’s DeepSeek AI model emerges as a disruptive force, boasting efficiency gains 40 to 50 times greater than Western competitors. The shift raises urgent questions about whether the AI industry has overbuilt infrastructure, with Goldman Sachs analyst Rich Privorotsky warning: “If you can do more with less, it naturally raises the question of whether so much capacity is necessary.””

    This is rolling the markets.  The markets had priced in huge data centers, now that MAY not be the case.  If so, Dell, Nvidea, Intel, and AMD will all be sucking wind as their planned hardware sales evaporate.

Comments are closed.