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Showing posts with the label economy

April Fool's Day, Distance Edition

Ah, April Fool's Day, the day in which a middle aged man such as myself gets to clown around at the expense of friends, family and colleagues. Not this year. The world is on edge and there is palpable tension in the air. Everyone is feeling anxiety, about the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crash, shortages, physical distancing and more. Speaking for myself, it doesn't help that the Empire State Building is lit up like an emergency vehicle: This year, I'll go home to my family. Instead of pulling a prank, I'll ask how the day went. My son has piano class (over FaceTime for the foreseeable future) on Wednesdays, so I expect to hear a song or two. Dinner, a little TV, then end the day. 2020, you win. But I'll be back. We'll be back, We always come back.

The World In Which We Live: Epstein Edition

The arrest of Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking children has all facets of the media tying themselves in knots, from straight reportage  to the more outrageous . These are early days and most of what is being published is opinion or speculation. It is this writer's choice to wait until justice is served before opining, but things of this nature seem to get swept away easily . Need more evidence? Look into Jimmy Saville. In the meantime, the UK is apologizing to Ivanka Trump for stating the obvious. Also, the Fed is preparing an interest rate cut as the economy soars to new heights . That gurgling sound you hear is your savings account being strangled.  And, as always, the US is spoiling for (more) war .  

What's An Outlaw To Do?

American society has always had a prudish streak, ever since the landing of a bunch of uptight religious fanatics at Plymouth Rock. Protestant work ethic in tow, the pilgrims set about building a world in which submission to authority and obedience would lead to paradise. Then came the extroverts. As wild as the west may have become with an influx of adventurous spirits from around the globe, American society still retained a great deal of restraint. Some, however, saw opportunity in exploiting the mores of the day. The outlaw was born, and many a legend arose. From the cowboy to Capone, highwaymen to Heisenberg, outlaws have always taken the road less traveled. That road has changed drastically in recent years. The moonshiner is a classic outlaw archetype in the southeastern US; images of Appalachian hillbillies and stills come to mind and many in my area remember buying 'shine from the hill country of eastern Georgia. But these days, there's a distillery in town

Futureproofing: Know Your Enemy

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. - Ephesians 6:12 Knowing your enemy is a skill that requires patience and understanding. As the quote above indicates, the enemy isn't always an individual, but a mindset or process. In ancient times, the problems wasn't necessarily the citizen of a Roman territory going about his business, the problem was Rome. This is not meant to excuse all abusers (think Nazi SS officers and the "following orders" excuse), but people for the most part are decent. However, powers, processes, and zeigeist can lead even the strongest astray. In our time, greed, fear, and hate are all great enemies, alone or in combination. Those in power, be it world leader or bank branch employee, can use any of the above to keep the rabble in place. Never forget: you are the rabble to the person on the opp

Futureproofing: Tips For An Uncertain Era

The 21st century has been a wild ride and we're only 19 years into it (or just beginning, according to the theory that places the beginning of a new century roughly 20 years after the turn of the calendar date). Uncertainty is the prevailing mood of our time. Wall Street and the general economy appear to have uncoupled. Those responsible for the economic crash of 2008 have gone unpunished. Military action has spread across the Middle East, while domestic strife is commonplace. How we got here has been recorded in numerous books and documentary films, and a history of the road to 2019 is beyond the scope of this post. Futureproofing will be a series devoted to tips on how to cope with the uncertainty of the present era. These tips will draw on ancient wisdom, new ideas, maybe even a few hunches. The ideas certainly aren't written in stone, nor are they to be considered legal or financial advice - see a carefully vetted professional if needed. It is my hope the Futurep