Good News - and Bad - On Trade If you thought a Second Depression would be all bad, think again. The US Balance of trade deficit is getting smaller thanks to globalism imploding (for now). It's all in the Census Bureau's International Trade in Goods and Services report for May '09 out today:
"The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total May exports of $123.3 billion and imports of $149.3 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $26.0 billion, down from $28.8 billion in April, revised.
May exports were $1.9 billon more than April exports of $121.4 billion. May imports were $0.9 billion less than April imports of $150.2 billion. In May, the goods deficit decreased $2.6 billion from April to $37.3 billion, and the services surplus increased $0.2 billion to $11.4 billion.
Exports of goods increased $2.0 billion to $82.1 billion, and imports of goods decreased $0.5 billion to $119.4 billion. Exports of services decreased $0.1 billion to $41.3 billion, and imports of services decreased $0.4 billion to $29.9 billion.
In May, the goods and services deficit decreased $34.6 billion from May 2008. Exports were down $33.3 billion, or 21.3 percent, and imports were down $67.9 billion, or 31.3 percent.
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The April to May increase in exports of goods reflected increases in industrial supplies and materials ($2.1 billion); foods, feeds, and beverages ($0.3 billion); consumer goods ($0.2 billion); and capital goods ($0.1 billion). A decrease occurred in automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($0.4 billion). Other goods were virtually unchanged.
These numbers shouldn't be too surprising, however, since we've been mentioning every so often how the West Coast container ports are doing - and come next week, or so, we should start seeing the TEU (ton equivalent unit) reports from the West Coast docks and that should let us know if the collapse in global trade is bottoming.
No, of course, it's not over yet, but we'll just wait for the data to confirm... Meanwhile, stock futures are down.
Say, you don't suppose that the 'end of the line' for globalism would be bad for markets, now, do you?
Government Motors Deal
WTF? I don't remember anything in the Constitution about the government owning the means of production (say, that was Karl Marx, wasn't it?). But times have changed and I'm a reprobate, I suppose for mentioning it because today "GM is said to complete bankruptcy asset sale to a new company" and guess what? YOU and I own it!
Of course, that doesn't mean squat since we won't get 'shareholder discounts'. But the good news is that Bob Lutz - who walks on water in my book - is being retained to have creative oversight over the remaining GM product line. Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and GM and the surviving brands.
I'm still trying to find something American-made I want to buy...but I keep going back to the web site one of the local once-Chrysler dealership sales fellows put up to keep in touch with what is really going on with this stuff...
You are SO Generous
So lemme see here: We put $180-billion into AIG and now the headline is that "AIG Seeks Clearance for More Bonuses" to the tune of $2.4 million. Hey, after promising $588 for every man, woman, and child in America (if my calculator is working right) to these folks, this bonus is less than a penny a person in the whole freakin country. Why, it's only $60,000 per bonus recipient. Bone us is right...
Disappearing People Meme
While we've had some preliminary hits on the idea of mysterious disappearances (the AF-447 crash, for example) there's a story in process of going mainstream that is most curious because it fits the kind of linguistic sets that have been in the data: "Cleaning woman vanishes at NYC skyscraper" which has not only been picked up at MSNBC, but now more than 200-other reports on the net. How's that for a meme appearing?
I spoke with Cliff at www.halfpasthuman.com about it - and turns out that the 'yacht' with the famous/royal/celebrity types aboard being found missing in Mary Celeste fashion is still ahead in our future - only part of the linguistics were fulfilled by the AF-447 crash, so we may still have that to look forward to. One reason? Data seems to infer that the vessel would be headed a different direction...but more when it happens.
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One note about the upcoming "shape of things to come" so the record is straight: There won't be any 'censorship' of the data release in the next "Shape of things to come" report. It will all be in there. The idea I was skirting was about not putting it all out there for your kids/young people. Some of it's pretty dire/bummer/"What's the point of living then" kind of stuff. If you want to bum out the kids, guess that's your call and my bad for suggesting it.
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One other meme thing to say: Yes, we're aware of the 'new land' coming up in Alaska/
O's "Bummer"
"Quello sguardo "indiscreto" di Obama" headlines an Italian web site.
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Stories of a young woman catching the presidential eye like "Tail to the Chief" in the NY Post seem to be popping up all over the 'net this morning. But isn't the G-8 meeting about international booty?
Fluey!
Oh I can see the chorus to 'roll up the sleeves' forming up now. It's in stories that report "London is days away from an epidemic with the West Midlands not far behind." and "Obama urges vigilance, not panic." Did you see in "Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return" that school flu shots are planned for October? Got your exemption paperwork started yet if you don't want your kids being 'shot'?
Might want to click here later today to see how much the flu death rate has changed, but in last week's report it was 170 dead from 33,902 cases. That's about 1/2 of one percent. We've been buying our Vitamin D-3 since you can read for yourself a doctor's column on why you may wish to "Avoid flu shots, take Vitamin D instead."
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Coping: With Shark Saws and Such
There are many things I've been called, by friend and foe alike, but one of the most accurate is that I'm a tool junkie. Since most all of construction (including welding, masonry, tile work, plumbing, electrical, and so forth) consists only of four basic operations, making things 'out here' in the physical word is not especially difficult - or even time consuming - provided, of course, that you have the right tool for the job.
Since this is Friday, and since most people devote some part of the weekend to general home maintenance, here's a little extract from the ebook "How to Live on $10,000 a Year...or les..." that's in the bonus sectioni "How to Build Anything" that starts on page 54:
"There are only a handful of operations on metal, plastics, wood, and what have you that can possibly be done.
• You start with a plan and measuring of things. Then...
• You can cut things
• You can form things and join them
• And you can cover things.
Many people who are otherwise good home handypersons don't keep these skills 'front of mind' in this simple context, and as a result, they waste a huge amount of time because they get sidetracked with non-essential activity. And, because they haven't started with a simple Big Picture (a sort of construction order of battle), the helpers end up getting yelled at and are told they're 'dumb' when that's almost never the case. They just haven't learned the 'recipe book.'"
This might seem obvious to a thinking person, but I can't begin to tell you how many times people look at me aghast when I tell them about this project, or that, some of which people would never think of doing themselves. Not that I've got all my tools organized this way, but mentally, at least, things are simple and straightforward. Measure, cut, join, paint.
So before I get to the point of my comments on Shark Saws, it may help you to know that every tool ever built likely falls into one of these categories. Something like a tape measure falls into the planning and measuring department. A miter box and fine finishing saw goes into cutting, while the finishing nails, nail set and 12-ounce hammer fit under 'joining' (in this case cabinet trim for instance) to the underlying cabinet or wall. And covering thing? Take your choice of paint, powder coating, anodizing, varnishing, of specialized outdoor meta-products like Sikkens' Cetol. No, you don't powder coat or anodize cabinet trim unless it's metal, of course.
So now we fast-forward to the discussion about Shark saws. Cliff's been working on his sailboat building and we happened to get to discussing saws and he mentioned his Japanese back saws sometimes called "Shark Saws." He claimed that for much of his fine joinery, the back saws invented by the Japanese were vastly superior to the more Western conventional carpentry saws.
The main difference is that the Asian/Asian-inspired saws are different in two regards: First, they do the cutting on the backstroke (pulling toward you) instead of while pushing away, and secondly, since the saw can be thinner, which in turn makes the kerf (the material removed) is much smaller which implies my favorite reason for buying any tool: Less effort.
Along the way, I found that Shark Saw also makes a 10" narrow kerf table saw blade (don't worry, spins the same way as any other) but what is cool about it is that the kerf is narrower than a conventional table saw blade. Besides turning less wood into sawdust, the cutting to a fine line when doing cabinetry kinds of work becomes more precise. I need all the help in this departmen5t I can.
So I have purchased a couple and sure enough, they work somewhat better than their push-saw cousins and they seem to be faster in addition to being more accurate. It cost a bit more, but the Japanese-style wrapped handle (traditional) seemed a lot more 'authentic' than the less expensive plastic-handled versions. So I now have:
This was getting a bit spendy, so I bought the plastic-handled versions of the dowel/dovetail saw and a back-up crosscut saw.
Amazon's also got a five-saw promotional pack here for the Shark table saw blade: Shark Pro-series (5 Pack) 10 inch 40 Teeth Carbide 5/8" arbor hole Thin Kerf ATB Circular Saw Blade "PROMO"
I don't know that this will make my carpentry any better, but like I said, I can use all the help I can get. Besides, even though I've got a decent-sized solar power setup that will run everything in the shop for a day, or so, working with traditional hand tools like the Japanese style saws and the set of chisels/gouges is just plain old fun.
But don't tell Elaine. I've got her kind of halfway believing that what I do in the shop is work. She's a good sport about it, and if she really knows better, she's been courteous enough not to let on.
CCW Permit Question
Reader writes this About getting a CCW (concealed carry weapon) or CCL (concealed carry license):
"Do you have any thoughts one way or the other regarding applying for a concealed carry license? I live close to the ground economically ("retired"?) after a "professional" career, since it maximizes freedom of action for me. I'm wondering if you figure it would be better to get a CCL or just buy what I need and let it be. Open carry is legal, as is CC on my own property, but reading Dmitri Orlov's experience (and others) indicates that necessary excursions to town, etc., may be more safely done in the future if carrying. On the other hand, a CCL raises your profile and may put you in the category of "undesirable" to some among TPTB. Carrying concealed without (or even with) the permit may be troublesome in an era of checkpoints, etc., and open carry in town may just be stupid. We can't all be permanent hermits.
I was wondering if you could share your perspective on this one, or toss it to your readership."
I don't personally hold a CCW. Not that I couldn't pass the test on the range, or know the laws, but like you, I have concerns about putting my name in some registry or other that would identify me as a handgun owner. While I'm already in a registry for owning an AK-47, that's not an unreasonable thing to have in the cougar, wild hog, and deer-infested East Texas outback.
For example, if a CCW holder is pulled over for a routine traffic stop, say speeding for example, my understanding is that you're supposed to say "I am a concealed permit holder and I am (or am not) carrying at this time." The idea being that this exchange of information means to the officer that "Ah, this fellow is armed, but since he has a CCW he is probably not a felon on the lamb..." Makes sense.
At least it makes sense as long as there is civil order and life as we know/knew it goes on as it has in a nice orderly way.
However, fast-forward into the future where things are socially so out-of-control that there won't be traffic stops and police will be deployed to protect banks and food outlets. That's when open carry starts to make sense. A CCW in my mind hides a possible deterrent. Of course, it may also make you a target, too, so time and circumstances will vary all over the place.
My simple answer is reread Orlov and try to picture how a Soviet-style breakdown would 'feel' and work out here in the USA.
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One thing to keep an eye is the "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009" which would (if I read it right) require every gun to be registered and no, I'm dead-set against that. My copy of the Consti0tution may be outdated but is still has a 'right to bear arms' provision in it.
By the way, speaking of things, sometime go read the www.govtrack.us 'group letter' that was sent to congress on HR 45 because it contains some very interesting points about whether gun control really works - or not. A portion of the GovTrack group letter project reads:
"* In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated. This doesn't include the 30 million "Uncle Joe" starved to death in the Ukraine.
* In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
* Germany established gun control in 1928. In 1938, the Nazis extended that control to ban the possession of military style weapons and to outlaw the sale of any weapons without government approval. (This sounds a lot like some of the current gun control efforts being pushed for in our country today.) From 1939 to 1945, the Gestapo & SS killed millions of people unable to defend themselves.
* China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.
* Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated.
* Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up & exterminated. The total dead are said to be 2-3 million.
* Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, 1-2 million "educated" people unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
* Defenseless people rounded up & exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million at a bare minimum.
* During W.W. II the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED.
Note: Admiral Yamamoto, who crafted the attack on Pearl Harbor, had attended Harvard University from 1919 to 1921 and was a Naval Attaché to the U.S. from 1925-28. Most of our Navy was destroyed at Pearl Harbor, and our Army had been deprived of funding and was ill prepared to defend the country. It was reported that when asked why Japan did not follow up the Pearl Harbor attack with an invasion of the U.S. Mainland, his reply was that he had lived in the U.S. and knew that almost all households had guns.
* Gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results: Australia-wide, homicides went up 3.2 percent; Australia-wide, assaults went up 8.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies went up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent). While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady DECREASE in armed robbery with firearms, that changed drastically upward in the first year after gun confiscation... since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed; There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults on the Elderly. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort & expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.
With guns.... We are "citizens".
Without Them.... We are "subjects".
You can read more at the GovTrack page here, and while I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of the 'group letter', I have heard from plenty of readers in Australia that crime is still an ongoing issue. And even with some of the toughest handgun laws on the books, folks in Honolulu are considering outlawing even pocket knives because the meth-head problem is so bad.
In terms of my personal life: I plan to keep a low profile, support law, order, and the Constitution, but should that ever fail - or its underlying tenets including the right to keep and bear arms be subverted - then I'd like as much anonymity as possible while fellow patriots figure out how to restore Constitutional America. You know, the one which doesn't have signing statements and lobbyists buying votes, or elected representatives buying automakers, insurance companies, and private banks because they caused those very problems by failing to maintain a level playing field for American workers while the globalists were busy offshoring our jobs and flooding Our Nation with cheap foreign goods to fatten the purse of those at the top under the treasonous cloak of 'free trade.' We now all know that 'free trade' is a buzzword for worker exploitation to phatten the fat.
Yeah, that America is worth defending. The one where Congress doesn't abdicate its fiduciary responsibility and outsource monetary policy to the foxes who were supposed to be guarding our nest eggs....
Maxa-Tools Update
The newest version of Maxa-Tools Cookie Manager (MCM) is available here:
There's no charge for the update to Cookie Manager 3+ users and the upgrades are as follows:
- Added Web bug recognition to cookie evaluation and makes separate manual deletion of those possible
- Option to automatically delete all Cookies except those explicitly allowed in the white list
- Support of real time cookie management for Firefox 3.5
- Further minor extensions and improvements
- Owners of MCM Pro >= V 3.X (meaning: V3.0 or higher) can update for no charge (just click the update button in the ABOUT window of your existing MCM product.)
Of all of the features the 'web bug' function is the most interesting because that's how some sites track people by putting a nearly invisible 1-byte call of an image source file (img_src) on some IP sniffing server... tricky stuff this cookie and tracking field...
