It’s Saturday morning and after yesterday’s massive workout with my brothers and a 6+mile walk in well under 2-hours I am happy to be here. This all is making the coffee very gratifying, i.e. it’s very tasty.

And I might as well keep the drumbeat going. This week for us it’s been a full year since the 15-day shutdown to “flatten the curve”. Follow the science – and keep on following wherever the ‘goal-posts’ move (1).

Spring Forward – a three-fer – It’s an exciting weekend with all the happenings. First it’s the time change, then it’s all about recycling, finally it’s about warming temps with flowers budding.

I tried to present all of this in some understandable manner and I think I got it. I remembered a video made by a musician whose talents encapsulate (embrace) all of the above.

So, here is something he recorded for you, he is shown playing in Spring –like outdoors surrounded by warm grass and great trees. Plus he, here’s #2, plays mostly in Europe so we have an automatic time change.

And here’s #3, this week I joined a Zoom seminar with Dr. Douglas Frank. And, although it wasn’t his main topic he does love digging down to the core of an issue – hence; Recycling. Doing all his research he came up with the fact that were it not totally underwritten, recycling programs would be a huge financial failure. In fact, he flat out stated that only three items, when recycled, pay for themselves; milk jugs, aluminum cans, and carpets. Everything else costs more in energy consumption than savings when recycled. Our musician fits this ‘bill’ perfectly in that he is a one-man-band who plays several instruments that he created out of, you guessed it, recycled objects.

Our musician is Massimo Tortella. He’s from Viadana, Northern Italy. He busks primarily throughout Europe under his band’s name; Porcapizza. You’ll hear him play guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and keyboards as he performs that great Jimi Hendrix standard; Foxy Lady. It’s STARTLING!
Enjoy!

Now, tell me, wasn’t that a fun way to start your Spring Time Ramblings?

Elon Musk – recently had a discussion with Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience. A portion of the subject was; Liberty!

In part he dealt with the Coronavirus shutdown, which many are still under – us, under the ‘thumb’ of our micromanager Governor “Whiney the Wine” here in Ohio, included.

Elon does not mince words;

“We should be concerned about anything that’s a massive infringement on our civil liberties. You’ve got to put a lot of weight on that. A lot of people died to win independence for the country and fight for the democracy that we have. We should treasure that and not give up our liberties too easily. I think we probably did that.”

But he took it a step further. Basically what he said was; “If you own a small business, DON’T LISTEN. STAY OPEN! No politician has a right to prevent you from making an income. In America, government exists to protect certain unalienable rights, among these are “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” not to run citizens’ lives.”

We need to get back to work. From the original dream of the Founders we’ve, year after year, moved away from that dream. We’ve allowed the federal government to grow and grow. And as it did its sucked away one freedom after another. Now, under the guise of Safety and Health we’ve gone so far as to hand over voluntarily many more freedoms. (2)

This week, amongst much cheering and hand clapping we’re sitting around waiting for ‘our’ $1,400 check. That message, delivered in a pre-taped, pre-planned, pre-written, pre-practiced, pre-edited address; was a little dark but perfectly managed. However, just remember that this obscene ‘Relief’ Bill divided by 330-million Americans is in reality costing you $5757. Think of it as pulling a bucket of water out of the pool’s shallow end and pouring it into the deep end so that it’s easier for you to swim.

As Musk told Rogan, “Let me just break it to the fools out there: if you don’t make stuff, there is no stuff.”

There is nothing magical out there. Economists are in agreement: We need productivity and output. We need to climb into our jobs, we need to open our businesses – 100%

Bits –
(1) From above, paragraph two; “Goal Posts move”. A subtle change made by the World Health Organization describing “What is Herd Immunity”, first from 9 June 2020 adjacent to it is the other mere weeks later 13 November 2020. Catch the subtle change?

(2) Freedom thought related to the fourth paragraphs above. This from Frederick Douglas (1818 – 1895) Slave, Social Reformer, Orator, Secretary to President Ulysses S. Grant, was nominated for Vice President of the United States on the Equal Rights Party ticket, and actively supported women’s suffrage.

A chart detailing just how our concept of Freedom has shifted over the years from the time of our Founding Fathers — I know, it’s being reposed on purpose. It’s worth clicking on it to enlarge and to take a careful look. Would JFK recognize the current political Parties? Could he be nominated in 2020? The answer to that bugging question lies in the chart below.

Crypto currency – has begun its path to becoming mainstream. We’re in that phase where there are a myriad of entrants, currently over 3,000 variants. China is the international leader in Crypto. Upon arrival in Beijing for the Olympics, each of the Olympic Athletes will receive a ‘wallet’ pre-loaded with Yuan (Chinese currency). The ‘wallet’ is theirs to keep and use and eventually to take home. Clever, don’t you agree? Another ‘something’ our leadership should make note of rather than worrying about the establishment of things such as the “Gender Policy Council” which Biden just signed.

Fini – A couple of weeks ago Dinah and my Birthday parties were celebrated with family in our Mount Storm Park. Marin is shown handing me his gift, baked-from-scratch loaf of Sourdough Bread (even the sourdough starter is his) and the flour used is white, unprocessed, made by the Amish. I cannot remember ever having had better bread.

The other day I while on my walk I kept looking about – primarily to keep an eye on the looming rain clouds; and yes, I did get soaked and with the subsequent sun and breeze dried out before I made it home. During all the looking about I made note of my surroundings and realized that on the Wasson Walkway trail it was much like riding a train. One is constantly looking onto people’s back yard. That’s the place no one preps for viewing. Actually it’s more interesting than looking at the manicured front yards.

Our home is not all that far from our city center. About a half mile away is an area called Avon Woods Preservation woods. The neighborhood social gossip web site can hardly go a couple of days without someone reporting a Coyote sighting on their street or yard. Yesterday I cut through Avon Woods on my afternoon walk and thought it lovely for Coyotes to call home. Just believed I’d share that insight.

Today in 1869 the Arkansas legislature passes anti-Ku Klux Klan law. That was at the end of the Civil War. Ask yourself; what happened subsequently that allowed the KKK to strengthen and cause the many horrors they perpetrated, when earlier on they were outlawed?

Another history first. Today’s date in 1877 Chester Greenwood patents earmuffs after inventing them at age 15. I can’t understand why he had to wait until winter was over. It would have been much more practical to secure his patent in September or even October. This way he’d have a patent and have the things produced in time for the Christmas rush.

Just to snap you out of your reverie blocking all thoughts of winter, winter’s extremes, and lovely warmth. Remember that this weekend in 1888 was the Great Blizzard of 1888 which raged across the east coast of the USA and Canada

Make it great week people, keep the peace, be happy, stay safe, and be healthy!

Dirk