Friday Filler: Splashing morning sunshine
Posted By RichC on October 22, 2021
Just a very short 10-second video slow-motion snippet as a Friday Filler post and to say “good morning.”
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The many political ‘ISMs’ discussed in our culture today #TBT
Posted By RichC on October 21, 2021
Every time I use political term with an “ism” these days, I sense I need to clarify the meaning as much as for myself as to the person I’m talking too. Often I’ll refer to an online resource in order to be sure that I’m not misspeaking … but usually its because the terms have become generic, interchangeable and debate stoppers.
An Ask Ann Landers column from years ago in the Chicago Tribune simplifies the ‘isms’ (hence this as a Throwback Thursday #TBT post), although I sure could be clarified and perhaps interpreted differently by intellectuals?
Socialism: You have two cows. Give one cow to your neighbor.
Communism: You have two cows. Give both cows to the government, and they may give you some of the milk.
Fascism: You have two cows. You give all of the milk to the government, and the government sells it.
Nazism: You have two cows. The government shoots you and takes both cows.
Anarchism: You have two cows. Keep both of the cows, shoot the government agent and steal another cow.
Capitalism: You have two cows. Sell one cow and buy a bull.
Surrealism: You have two giraffes. The government makes you take harmonica lessons.
As for a personal story, I think back to my good friend in high school, college and years after college; his name was Charlie … although enjoy remembering him nicknamed Kamikaze (second from left). 
He saw things politically different than me and it made him very intriguing. Of course we were both “young” and exploring our political ideology, so much of our discussion was based on our limited life experience, high school level reading, counterculture influence, teachers, small town community, family and home life. For me, I really only knew traditional American values and with a father and grandfather fought to preserve our way of life, I respected their sacrifice, years of experience and their views (respected Charlie’s as well … even though I didn’t agree with them).
Charlie had different experiences … and having spent his early years living overseas “in the orient” as we called it in those days … saw the United States as a World War II victor, oppressive nation and as an anti communist country with business interests, capitalism and “the man” warring against the 
Marxist movement in other parts of the world. It didn’t help that his father was an academic (college professor), mother a successful career woman coming out of the women’s rights movement, an older brother that I saw as a 1960s rebel and holding philosophical views unknown to me. Charlie’s music taste, reading material and college path (degree in philosophy and fine art) all mirrored his leftist political views. He declared himself a Marxist and enjoyed debating from that point of view with me … all respectfully as college friends did back then (and should today).
We stayed in touch through the early years as he continued his graduate education, became a potter, had art exhibits and both lived and taught school in a city of 9-million people in China … until the Communist threw out Americans after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. He came back to America and landed a job as a museum curator, but said he “didn’t fit” with our consumer driven society, etc. I recall a letter appalled at the extravagate waste, overproduction and consumerism of our U.S. culture after years of living in China. So he move to Portugal where I lost touch with him for a couple decades. Thankfully he reach out some years back after moving back the U.S. and 
we connected again over our common interest in sailing and the good memories from our high school and college years.
The long winded point that I’m driving at is that we are politically totally different, but that it is possible to discuss, understand and respect each others views. Neither of us force our philosophy on the other (although we still enjoyed debating). I also recognized that it is difficult for both philosophies to coexist in a country where one political view enforces their philosophy on the other, be it from the right of left. In Charlie’s case, he left the capitalist United States in search of so better option (it doesn’t exist IMHO) … and would prefer our country reflect his Marxist philosophy. Unfortunately for those of us with a conservative view, we seems to be losing ground as the political left “enforces” their progressive agenda on American and we seem to be sliding inch by inch in the direction that Mark Levin calls “American Marxism.”
The Bankrupting of America – Stephen Moore for PragerU
Posted By RichC on October 20, 2021
Here’s a short video worth 5 minutes of your time to watch and to contemplate before Congress and President Biden makes our spending spree even worse.
“You can’t spend what you don’t have indefinitely ..” – Stephen Moore for Prager University.
LINK to video
Archive: Long curtain rod without center support ideas?
Posted By RichC on October 19, 2021
While tuned into Fox Business over lunch last week, a segment highlighting people bulldozing beautiful homes in New York’s Long Island’s West Hamptons in order to build even more beautiful dream homes. One such multi-million dollar house featured a long window treatment rod similar to my thoughts for our new windows. For us it is not the privacy issue but the southern winter sunshine that can make sitting in our great room uncomfortable. I’ve though about just some kind of invisible hook system or roll-up blinds, but a long rod that doesn’t sag might give us more options.
For the most part, this is just and “ideas” post to archive the quick photo of the television screen.
Music Monday: 1970s Orchestra music and “Nadia’s Theme”
Posted By RichC on October 18, 2021
This content is restricted.
Pyramids: Amazing human-powered ancient engineering
Posted By RichC on October 17, 2021
Saw this last week posted on the @ArchaeoHistories Twitter feed.
This is how the pyramids looked when they were built four thousand five hundred years ago. Where it was covered with white limestone and its top was made of gold to reflect the sun’s rays.
Investors are concerned as the Fed tapers and inflation rises
Posted By RichC on October 16, 2021
A friend contemplating rolling over his 401K to an IRA asked me a bond investing question the other day as he would like to balance his portfolio of stocks by adding some bonds after the rollover. Since he has never owned a bond (outside of a managed fund), the question was, “what’s the impact of the Federal Reserve ‘tapering’ and what does it have to do with yields and bond prices?”
Chart of US Treasury 10-Bond
U.S. Treasuries are front and center (10-year bond chart from MacroTrends above) and the Fed “tapering” means that they will not be buying the $80 Billion every month in the future. Economics 101 teaches us (as does history), that Treasury Bond yields are impacted by “supply and demand.” When a big buyer like the Fed cuts back on their buying, then yields on bonds like the 10-year note will rise to attract more buyers. The challenge for those owning or buying older bonds with lower yields is that they are no longer attractive on the secondary market and therefore must be discounted to sell. As this tapering continues and the Fed ponders or changes their lending rates to banks next year … buying yesterday’s and today’s issues become less attractive.
So the plan of adding bonds to your portfolio for security and investment balance in a volatile or rising interest rate environment can be tricky. My advice is when adding bonds as interest rates rise is to keep the durations shorter (1-3 years). You really don’t want to lock into low 10-year yielding bonds when inflation rises as their relatively low return may not keep up with rising costs.
Tidbit: Even TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities) can be risky because even though their interest rates rise with inflation, the government’s CPI (basket of goods) isn’t always reflective of overall true inflation.
Our first Mercedes Benz sedan, but not the oldest #TBT
Posted By RichC on October 14, 2021
Although I’ve highlighted our 1987 Mercedes Benz 560 SEL before (see photo in front of my parent’s house in Sidney) and this fall photo at West Branch State Park reminds me that autumn is
the perfect time to take my current 1982 MB 300D Turbodiesel out for a drive. The ‘87 was one of those great driving cars (especially on the highway) and it would be nice to still own… especially after noticing the Hagerty valuation.
As for the photo above, it was taken when the kids were pretty young in 1991 when we lived in NE Ohio … 30 years ago! Wow!
All in all, the car makes for great memories for a Throwback Thursday #TBT post.
Tidbits: A favorite kitchen product – Glad Press’N Seal
Posted By RichC on October 13, 2021
When it comes to tools in the workshop, there are a few of them that I keep at arm’s length or in a small toolbox. The same goes for kitchen utensils and products.
One of my favorites, if not thee favorite, is GLAD Press’n Seal® wrap (mentioned year’s ago when I still had a Keurig). It is so easy to use that we’re reluctant to reach for plastic containers or zip-lock bags. Just stretch this “one-half tacky” plastic over a bowl or wrap a piece of fruit, stick it in the refrigerator and move on … no matching up lids or discolored over-microwaved plastic containers to mess with … we could seriously gain some kitchen cabinet space by tossing a bunch of those old containers?
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.