My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on March 2, 2022

I’m not an expert on how the events in Ukraine will impact the world, but I do pay close attention to geopolitical events, the financial markets and the economy … and can’t help but wonder how this will reshape our future.

For the past year or so I’ve been grumbling about how the Biden administration’s “war on energy” is an inflation trigger. Partisans on the left will point to all the other factors contributing (pandemic ending, lack of workers, shipping bottlenecks, etc), but besides the excessive Federal Reserve money-printing and Congress throwing money around so freely,  the inflation trigger in my mind was the political left making a target of US oil companies, restricting exploration, new oil leases, fracking and stopping pipeline projects. After the November 2020 election, we went from energy independent and exporter to begging OPEC and Russia for oil under President Biden. The price predictably went up 40% causing everything shipped or dependent on energy to rise. The price – wage spiral begins just as the world attempts to reopen as the pandemic winds down (shocking to read “Low inflation. Will it continue?” from January 5, 2020 <= the answer is obviously no).

Now enter war. More uncertainty, debt funding to help Ukraine fight Russia, build up NATO and provide relief for potentially millions of refugees. This is certain to stymie growth worldwide and likely in the U.S. too. Still prices and wages are rising … even as growth slows. We now have almost all the ingredients for stagflation.  Inflation is one thing but we do have answers and ways to deal with it, stagflation is another … think of it as inflation’s evil twin.

I ran out of time on this post to go into my boring memories of 1970s inflation and stagflation (my original plan), but I did want to include a link to Megan Greene (Harvard Kennedy School) talking a little bit on a segment of Marketplace last week (left leaning for those thinking all my brainwashing is from right leaning news organizations). Listen to her if you have a few minutes.

Category: Energy, Financial | No Comments »
Tags: biden, economy, energy, europe, federal reserve, geopolitics, inflation, nato, oil, opec, russia, stagflation, ukraine, war

Posted By RichC on March 1, 2022

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Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, drew, ellerie, family, granddaughter, granddaughters, katelyn, painting, Photos, priming, rocking chair, sanding, workshop

Posted By RichC on February 28, 2022

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Category: Music | No Comments »
Tags: christopher cross, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, yachtrock

Posted By RichC on February 27, 2022

My son Taylor is a history buff and turned me on to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcasts. I particularly enjoyed Carlin’s long running Supernova in the East series and commented a couple times previously as it corresponded with quite a few books that I’ve read (and am still reading) detailing World War II and the build-up and war with Japan in the Pacific.

Last week I picked up Dan Carlin’s 2020 book, “The End Is Always Near: Humanity vs the Apocalypse, From the Bronze Age to Today” and immediately started reading. Because I’m in the middle of a couple other books, I’m not sure when I’ll get to it, but I might look for the audio version since I do enjoy listening to the author’s delivery (he reads it). After enjoying the foreword and moving on to the first chapter though, I’m pretty much hooked, so may keep going?

If you enjoyed Dan Carlin and “his” take on history, you should check it out.

Category: Books, History | No Comments »
Tags: audio, Books, dan carlin, History, podcast, reading, supernova, the end is always near, war

Posted By RichC on February 26, 2022

(click photo for actual Flag of Ukraine)

Zelensky refuses US offer to evacuate, saying ‘I need ammunition, not a ride’

(CNN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned down an offer from the United States of evacuation from the capital city Kyiv, the Ukraine embassy in Britain said Saturday on Twitter.

"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride," Zelensky told the US, according to the embassy.

"Ukrainians are proud of their President," the tweet adds.

 MORE or previous post

Category: News, Photos, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: cnn, flag, freedom, twitter, ukraine, volodymyr zelenshyy, war

Posted By RichC on February 26, 2022

Well according to the calculations by automotive journalist Lauren Fix, if it is the financial calculation that triggers your decision, you might want to hold off a little on buying that new EV … even with tax incentives.

(more…)

Category: Automotive, Financial, Video | No Comments »
Tags: cars, electric vehicles, ev, journalist, lauren fix, youtube

Posted By RichC on February 25, 2022

A few years back while learning a little more about iPhone photography, I downloaded and tinkered with the Focos app. At the time, I liked it,but for some reason forgot about using it or that I even had it on my phone. In updating to Apple’s iOS 15.3.1 (security issues I assume), I figured it was time to free up some space and remove unwanted apps.

When Focos appeared, I looked at it again and remembered that it was an excellent app for the bokeh effect or what we would call “selective focus” back in my photography days. Apple calls this Depth Control but it is really improved by using Focos … so I think I’ll keep the app for now.

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Photography, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: app, apple, bokeh, effect, focos, ios, iphone, photography, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on February 24, 2022

Russia, lead by the wicked Vladimir Putin, has invaded and attacked their neighbor on February 24th after massing their military around Ukraine this past year. They started the invasion with missiles and air strikes to all but eliminate Ukraine’s air defenses and are currently crossing borders from all directions with overwhelming military force. For students of history, it triggered thoughts of 1939 history as Nazi Germany expanded their footprint in Europe … as world leaders at the time bloviated and watched. We all too often discount and forget the past and as the Winston Churchill axiom goes, “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

The questions facing the west at this point is … “if sanctions and talks don’t work, will NATO, lead by the United States, be required to mount a military deterrent?”  And … (more…)

Category: History, Millitary, News | No Comments »
Tags: attack, axiom, biden, churchill, History, invasion, leaders, martin niemoller, peace, prayer, praying, putin, quotes, russia, sanctions, ukraine, war

Posted By RichC on February 24, 2022

Last week I was talking to an online friend from Alaska about outdoor cold-weather activities who shared a winter camping photo. He was complaining about the freezing rain and less than ideal weather this year on his 20 mile snowmobile trip, so he cut it short and drove to Wasilla to watch the start of the Iron Dog.

The conversation shifted to the the correct verbiage: snowmobile vs snowmachine … and which term to use. He commented that once you get to the Arctic, they call it a SnoGo.

The chat had me remembering growing up and enjoying winters on Lake Erie and only knowing them as a Ski-doo … which was the popular brand at the time (and may still be?) We enjoyed riding ours “with permission” on farm fields, the snow covered roads in our rural area of NW Ohio … and even on Lake Erie in front of our house (winters were obviously colder, the ice on the lake was thicker and it probably snowed more). Here is a Throwback Thursday #TBT photo “taken by MomC” of DadC, my brother Ron, our dog Skippy and me for the blog archive. Good memories.

Category: Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: alaska, dadc, lake erie, memories, momc, richc, ronc, Ski-Doo, skippy, snow, snowmachine, snowmobile, TBT, throwback, winter

Posted By RichC on February 23, 2022

Interesting tidbit: According to a post on social media (take that for what it is worth), “the average person lives in 11 homes in there lifetime.” It doesn’t detail if a college dorm is considering a “home,”  but if I eliminate them … I’m up to EIGHT that I call “a residence.” In pondering my future (it said “lifetime”) … I’m estimating there are 2-4 moves yet to make. Gulp.  It surprised me that I was even at 8 … and that ALL were in Ohio?

This has me wondering about my friends who have moved constantly due to job changes or from a life in the military (like my friends Mark and Dar who move more often that I change clothes – humor). They obviously punch up the averages. 

Category: Human Interest, Social Media, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: home, house, interesting, residence, social media, tidbits