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So Orange Man’s Big Beautiful Bill has a lot of disturbing elements – the one that has been on my mind of late is the selling of public lands. I simply don’t understand this – but not but of what comes out of this blubbery, feckless blowhard makes sense.

Our public lands is what makes America Great – the ability to protect such amazing lands is unique to the US (at least in scope).

Looks like this part of the BBB is being taken out: https://newrepublic.com/post/197167/republicans-remove-sale-public-lands-budget-bill

Good.

Asshole.

In today’s world of scrolling and news overload, it can be easy to get caught up in what ‘pundits’ may say – be it with practically anything. One of the topics I always follow in my newsfeeds (not Facebook) on my news apps is/are stocks. It can be easy to read a flashy headline or quip, then question things or even your own strategy. But keep this in mind:

So – you’d be better off doing The Opposite of what Jim Cramer suggests, folks.

More here if you’re bored.

I have about 4 -10 ‘news’ apps on my phone/tablets. I am and always have been a news junkie. Just like to know what’s going on. No Social Media – if you’ve read any of my prior relative posts, you know why.

But what has been having me reflect on things lately is my news apps (Google, Apple, NPR, Yahoo, local, ESPN, MS Start, etc) are occasionally feeding me articles that seem to come from TikTok (no thanks), Facebook (no thanks), and Twitter (same) that tell the story about some disenfranchised employee, a ‘Karen‘, or other person that I would really have no interest in knowing or ‘following’ and a story about something that happened to them that they want to share with the world. I see these stories in the news that -years ago- would (and still, today) have no bearing on my life. I really don’t want to hear how your tacos arrived cold, how your shoes arrived damaged, or how your service at [insert restaurant here] was unacceptable. That’s not news. Social media has just created a mess with this stuff, as it’s bleeding into ‘news’. This is another way in which we start to lose faith in the press.

Perfect Example:

Okay – I’m not a “Fake News” guy, but hopefully you see my point here. Open to any suggestions on News Apps/Sites that filter this kind of stuff out.

And if you send me a Truth App link, Huffington Post, FOX, or One America link, I’m going to send you a glitter bomb.

Um … so vaccines slow the virus? Yes, apparently.

Jesus, folks. Get Vaccinated!

[BTW – my wifi is AWESOME since I got my 2nd dose]

With all of this COVID Scare, the market has been thrashed over the past 2 weeks. A month ago, a day +/- 100 would envoke emotion (elation/fear). Today, the new norm is a fluctuation of 500 – 2000 points. It’s crazy – and people have been panicking. Panic is the word – the lever, the ‘GO’.

“A market downturn doesn’t bother us. It is an opportunity to increase our ownership of great companies with great management at good prices.” — Warren Buffett
“You make most of your money in a bear market, you just don’t realize it at the time.” — Shelby Cullom Davis

This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime market. Tomorrow, I get my annual bonus. I have been waiting for this, doing due diligence over the past 2 weeks. I will be increasing my MSFT and AMZN holdings bigly, as well as adding some additional tickers to my portfolio – relative to travel and hospitality.

Hell – practically everything is on sale right – a BOGO event, if you will.

Go Big.

These are the types of articles that make the news when everyone is on lockdown and there are no sports on.

Interesting article. This is where you have to weigh your options if you are bald and want to pursue this: Hair or Health?

Your call.

… if you are a fan of the Walking Dead.

So the White House had a security breach the other day, where a guy jumped the perimeter fence and made it all the way into the front door.

Tina and I were talking about this tonight before dinner … and she had a brilliant -yet simple- solution for the President: “Why don’t they just lock the door?”

I laughed when she said it, but you know … it’s a pretty simple solution, really.

Sobering development, frankly, by the Chinese in regards to this ridiculous government shut-down here in the US. With the amount of our money they own and the amount of power they have, we don’t want to be messing with these guys long-term.

First – they are right. This is ridiculous. Bravado or Progress? I’m no politician – but I do know business. People who “make things happen” don’t fart around like these idiots in DC – you find a way to make it work, and together. Politicians, government employees – all people on the public dime – just don’t get it. Don’t care, don’t want to. Just work as little as possible, collect the check, get the benefits, then retire with full pensions. This crap simply does not fly in the private sector. If my CEO or any board members acted like this, they would all be out the door on their asses. Seriously. And no “pension” (seriously, pensions? What – is this 1954?).

Second – let’s not stir up things with China. NOT a good move.

Game On, DC – let’s grown up and do some work.

One of my favorite sites for the morning coffee … I try to explain to some what it is – this video does the job well.

So … the plane accident in San Francisco on Monday was followed by the following report of names by the NTSB, according to KTVU in CA:

And then, to further complicate the spoof, a newscaster tried to read them off to viewers:

Only to have to apologize later:

I’ve seen a lot of 9/11 videos, like most people … but just ran across this one and it kind of hit a chord. Brings back the confusing horror of that fall day just a decade ago. I remember Tina and I were getting ready for work that morning, living in our first house in Portland. I remember ironing a shirt for work as we watched the news – when the second plane hit.

Crazy.

Can’t make this stuff up, folks.

Really. She had a Spanish Notary sign off on the deal.

Now you know who to sue when you get a sun-burn.

Thank me later.

A Florida family left their home for New York state last week. When they returned, thousands of dollars worth of TVs, jewelry, and cameras were gone.

A result of their updating their Facebook status whilst on vacation.

Brilliant.

The other day I ran across the news about the psycho in Austin who decided to bring a gun to the UT Campus and start shooting people – only to miss and end up shooting himself in a library. Nice.

But what really bothered me when reading about this in this AP article, was the statement in the 5th paragraph:

The fact that Tooley apparently didn’t have a Facebook account “reflects a certain degree of isolation” that may be a clue to his behavior, he (James Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University) said.

Whoa. Stop There.

I just can’t resist the temptation to use Non Sequitur, but … it’s just too easy! And admit, you fell for it, too.

Did you? I bet not.

Check this out.

Wow.

Just goes to show you the world may not be as twisted as we always believe.

I remember the morning. We all do. It was a very sad day across America.

This is a very raw video … worth a watch.

I read this in the LA Times, and thought: Are you kidding me? Control your country, Man!

Read the last line of the clip, then read the full article here.

Sad end to a life of hoarding …