Inflation and my Toilet Paper!

No matter how you look at it, inflation is a bugger. It constantly eats away at our budgets, making our daily lives an ongoing battle of diminishing resources versus rising costs. Think of it this way, as the Federal Government prints more cash in order to meets its ongoing obligations; it dilutes the value of the money currently in circulation.

Such activities by our governments have been going on since the first government was formed. It allowed for politicians to deflate the costs of what they promised by destroying the value of the future money, but what really gets to me is while we see rising taxes and lower values of our precious dollars, we also see shrinking package sizes with higher costs. Take a look at the picture below. Nearly 9 months ago, we bought a 24-pack of toilet paper at a cost of $3.99, then another package about 6 months ago at $4.99 and finally the last package a week ago at $5.99. Do you see what I see?

Aggravating is it not? I am getting 15% less toilet paper at a price increase of 50%. In just the last 9 months, I am looking at a 65% inflation rate in my toilet paper. Roll this out to a one-year rate, and then the annual inflation rate of toilet paper is 86.5%. If this continues by the time next year is here and gone, I will be paying $ 13.88 for a 24 pack of toilet paper the same size as the width of a credit card. Credit cards don’t charge 33% interest just because they can, but it is what their money really costs. We can see that reflected in the cost of our toilet paper through higher costs and smaller roles.

If this is happening to toilet paper, it has to be happening to other things that we consume in our daily lives. That’s why toys break so easily, tires never last, and clothes fall apart after only a month of hard work.

Don’t you just love it?

Enjoy!

Frustrations with the New America.

I was listening the the Boortz show today and I heard a audio clip that really disturbed me. In the clip, a woman was complaining that she was just too stressed out with her job and that paying bills and working for a living was just too much to ask of her. She went on to say that she had taken a month off from work and found that without the demands from the people who pay her to work, she had a rather agreeable life that consisted of days doing the things she enjoyed. Furthermore, she indicated that society demanding that she pay back the money she borrowed for schooling, spent on food, housing and the basic needs of life in general was simply unjust. Land should be free, was it not so in the past? Food should be free, were we not able to gather it as we became hungry? And so it went on......

It's not the first time I had heard such garbage from the moochers of this nation, but it struck me that this woman now represents the majority of who we are as Americans today. We expect that if we are hungry food will be given to us at no cost. When we need shelter, it shall be provided, again at no cost and so on. How did this happen?

Do people not realize that if you get food for nothing, it was taken from someone else? Food does not just appear, it must be grown, gathered, transported, and stored! This does not come at no cost. Yes, I have also come across those who think that meat only comes in packages and so we have no need to kill animals or that canned carrots are created that way, so don't give them the type that touched the dirt as it is dirty! Despite that I still held out hope that we as a nation still had that urge to go it alone and create something new and better so that we could enjoy the wealth we created.

Now it seems that the only type of person that we now have (under 35 years old) are those who feel that they have been slighted in some way and they only reason they don't have a mansion, Rolls Royce and plenty of cash is that some evil @#%$@ has kept them from their true potential by stealing from them through low wages and unreasonable demands such as showing up to work each and every day on time.

That brings up another rant of mine. What is the deal with a work ethic? It is one thing to show up in pants around your knees with on hand on your pants and the other on your cell phone, but at least you showed up. Too many people now won't even make the effort to be at work on time and if they do, you need to pay them extra. My wife works at a big box store and they are constantly loosing people who chronicly complain that management demands too much for too little pay. Yet these are the very same people who call in at least 3 times each month, hurt themselves twice a year and are just a royal pain in the b#$# to work with.

Some how America has lost touch with the idea that we must work for what we eat, sweat for our shelter and save for our future and no one is responsible for ourselves but ourselves. It may simply be a case of my being old and addled, but then again if it is not, what future do we have as a people?

Enjoy!

It's All Over, But The Crying!

A recent report gave the debt ratio of the top debtor nations in the world today. I have transcribed the list and added comments of how these nations are currently doing in today's world.

1) Japan -- 213% of GDP----its economy has been DOA since the 1990s.
2) Greece--157%----riots are now common as people realize that they aren't getting theirs
3) Italy--129%---was just bailed out by the Euro Zone---we are now waiting for the shoe to drop
4) Iceland--121%---its dollar became worthless a few years ago
5) Ireland---120% ---was just bailed out by the Euro Zone---we are now waiting for the shoe to drop
6) Portugal---111%---a few riots and strikes, but was bailed out and now all is calm
7) United States--101%---you tell me what's in store for the US----

If the first 6 nations on the list have already had major problems, what do you think is in store for this nation over the next decade?

Enjoy!

The Cost of Debt!

There has been much ado about the level of the United States debt and how it affects the average citizen. For those who have not been following the ongoing debt crisis, and it is ongoing as we have not stopped racking up debt, we are looking at a debt to earnings ratio of 100%, (more and not less), as of the time of this blog. What that means for every dollar in goods and services that this nation creates this year, we owe that dollar to some one else. Furthermore, we are increasing that debt load by about 1 per cent per month or 12% annually.

You may ask why this is so important as the government can just raise taxes and print more money. In short, yes the government can increase the tax rate and print as much money as it wishes. That works for today, tomorrow and even this year, but what about next year? The year after? What happens is that inflation begins to raise its ugly head. Each dollar earned begins to purchase less and less. Employers who are forced to raise prices, cut costs and begin to build their inventories of dollars, (think hoarding cash and cutting jobs), This in turn causes the economy to slow down, resulting in more hoarding and job losses. Does this sound familiar? It is estimated that several of the top fortune 500 companies have more cash on hand than does the US Government and I mean that each of these companies have more cash on hand and not as a collective whole. We are also looking at the longest period of sustained high unemployment since the 1930s. In fact, if the US Government still measured unemployment as it did in 1980, we would have an official unemployment rate of over 17%.

How have such things been solved in the past? War! Conquest! Exploitation of Natural Resources! We are already in 3 different wars, (Libya is another undeclared war), any nation we may desire to conquer is in far worse shape than we are, and we have all but shut down our efforts to find and develop our natural resources.

With traditional options already used and proving ineffective we are left with the only option that all nations dread and fear. Collapse. For those who are doomers, the collapse is already at hand, but in truth, we are looking at 10-20 additional years of walking the same path before the wheels come off the cart. At that point in time, those who are on the back end of the boomer generation will be on government programs and the slacker generation that is now in the pipeline will be the main driving force in the nation's economy. Just think, that 20+ year old who is still living in his childhood bed, working 2-3 days a week at minimum wage will be the main source of all of the nation's economic activity. Thus, it is my belief that collapse will happen, and this nation will evolve into a more traditional nation with its Dictators, Ruling Councils, and Kings. Despite this inevitable collapse, we need not fear as is in most collapses, they tend to be quick and bloody. So if you can survive the first 180 days of change, you most likely will be fine.

Are you prepared for the change?

Red gage picture of the day----dragonfly

Enjoy!

A Simple Salsa Recipe!

A down and dirty Salsa Recipe

If you have a hankering for salsa, but you really don’t want to drive to the store and spend $ 3.00 or more for a pint of the store variety. Try this simple recipe for making a great tasting salsa in about 15 minutes. The total cost will depend upon the ingredients you add, but in our case, it costs about $ 2.80 to make 36 ounces or about 2+ pints of fresh salsa versus the minimum of $ 3.00 you would spend at the store. I will take a 50% savings any day of the week.

Ingredients:

2 -15 ounce cans of unsalted, diced tomatoes. If you grow your own tomatoes, you will need 4 cups of diced tomatoes.

1 – large onion, diced. If you like a spicy salsa, use a red onion.

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

½ tablespoon of Cheyenne powder

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir until everything is mixed well. Place in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to chill or use right away per your preference.

If you want to add a little color, you can also add bell peppers, cilantro or even basil.

Note: if you grow your own vegetables and buy your spices in bulk. This recipe can cost virtually nothing. All you need is some fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc from your garden. The spices would be your only cost at less than a dime in total cost.

Redgage picture of the day---Koi Fish

Enjoy!

The New Nazis!

Believe it or not, many of our nation’s voting public believe that it is conservatives who most remind them of that age old boogieman, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party of World War II. This has happened in part due to the poor education system that our nation now enjoys, but the rhetoric of our political system is also to blame. Have you not heard our evening newscasters repeating vicious catch phrases about President Bush, being no better than Hitler himself? This was reinforced by the repeated airing of posters showing pictures of President Bush with the addition of the prototypical Hitler mustache.

Note: Did you know the Hitler mustache and Nazi salute were quite popular until the rise of Adolf Hitler and the beginning of World War II?

Despite the common belief of conservatives being no better than Nazis, it is much more apt to denote the commonalities between the current administration and those of the Nazi party itself. To begin with the Nazi party was in fact a socialist party and its name if translated into English, denotes this. But the similarities go farther than that. It is my belief that a case can be made that we are only a step or two from teetering over the edge to the same form of fascism that the Germans of the 2^nd world war were infamous for.

First, both Hitler and our current President were popularly elected with a mandate for change. In both cases, that mandate was to change the program of business as usual and effect real and lasting change. But that alone doesn’t really mean much, so let’s review the 2^nd point of similarity. In both cases the soon to be elected leaders mandated a need for a new civilian organization whose organization and equipment levels were to be as good as if not better than those of the established military. The purpose in our case is to help assist in the maintaining of security throughout the nation. In our case, a bill was introduced on 7-29-2009, (HR 675) which was to provide for the legal basis of such a force. As of now, the bill has not been passed, but if the Congress reverts back to one that is controlled by the Democrats, who knows.---read more here----

Redgage picture of the day----Stop Sign

Enjoy!

Government and Social Engineering

There has been much ado about the comments of Newt Gingrich regarding the efforts of Republicans to implement a bit of “right-wing social engineering” in regards to the implementation of a national medical program. In this day and age it seems that everyone has a plan to effect change upon the nation and the way we live our lives. Yet, I wonder if these efforts to “help” us are simply a case of misguided nanny state behavior at best or the first steps towards a united “mind-think” by our nation’s leaders at the point of a gun. So the question of the day would be, “is there a difference between right-wing and left-wing social engineering”?

To begin with, I am the type of person who would like to live without much interaction with those around me. In another time I might have been one of those secluded recluses or hermits that we read about in our history books. It has shaped my view on the world as one that believes that the more we are left to our own devices the better we are as a society, but despite that, I do see a need for a strong network of laws that help protect the weak from the predations of the strong. So when I see one group or another push an effort to “help” society, I have an automatic gut reaction of pushing back. That is the case where I see an effort from conservatives to prevent the people of this nation from enjoying the freedoms that our constitution promises as our God given rights as human beings. A case in point is not only the passage of laws that restrict our ability to travel freely, (TSA groping, warrant less searches), but also their efforts to pin down who I am and what I am doing with “real id” acts and NSA phone taps.---read more here----

Redgage picture of the day-----A garden spider

Enjoy!

Our Modern Laziness

We all know that society is in a constant flux and as the generations pass, new trends, fads and who knows what, become popular and then fade away. Yet throughout the generations, one thing remained constant to each and every family in this nation. Children played and caused all kinds of havoc while playing outside. It is that love of the outside that seems to be fading away as we become a nation of couch sitting, bed loving, slugs who no longer enjoy the bright outdoors. If fact, it seems the only reason to go outdoors anymore is to do our bit of traveling to go to school, work or at best for a rare day at the beach or amusement part being entertained by the activities of others. So we must ask ourselves, just when did we become so lazy and what have we done to our children?

An easy answer would be to blame those sick individuals who we see on the news each and every day. These are the people who kidnap the young and venerable then perform unspeakable acts before disposing of their victims. So in response we keep our children close kidding ourselves that it is in their best interest. Yet, all that seems to have accomplished is create a new generation of adults who no longer love the outdoors and the understanding of how nature works. If fact, I once overheard a conversation of a woman who was determined to save a bit of money growing a garden, but was hesitant do so. Her reason for the hesitation was the fact that she could not find the variety of vegetable that developed into cans when they ripened. I know, people can’t be that dumb, but in all honesty, it is a true story and she was deadly serious and I have run across dozens of individuals who wouldn’t eat any vegetable that actually grew in the dirt. They only wanted the vegetables that were grown dirt free. They didn’t want any of those diseases that were contained in the dirt.----read more here-----

Redgage picture of the day-----Roadside Flowers

Enjoy!

The Modern Parasites and how Government helps! HA HA HA

Have you ever had a case of parasites? I shudder at the thought of some disease ridden pest feeding off of the bounty of my body growing larger and hungrier each time it gobbles a portion of what I am. No one likes a parasite and as we look upon them we feel a degree of disgust, yet we live in a society that not only tolerates them, but also actually panders to their every need. I can imagine what you are thinking as you read this, another jab at the poor and unfortunate who just need a hand up in order to get on their feet. In truth, you are partly correct, but only partly. Yes, many parasites are poor, but many are better off and have no need to feed upon the host of American society and its economic bounty.

Do you realize that one in six Americans and many, who are not Americans, receive an allotment of food stamps each month? Is this a good thing? Perhaps it is, for no one likes the idea of someone starving in America, but why do we give them to non-citizens? Would it not be cheaper to buy first class tickets for those non-citizens to their home country? Do we not have a cornucopia of soup kitchens, charitable food banks, and other such charities in this nation? Then again, the idea of simply making sure that the people of this nation have enough to eat is not really a bad idea, and that doesn’t make them a parasite no matter what our politicians may argue.---read more here----

Redgage picture of the day-----Alligators

Enjoy!

What you shouldn't do when applying for an Apartment!

There are more than a few things in life that you shouldn’t do, but if you are applying to rent a house or apartment, I can give you five things right off the top of my head. Yes, I realize that being a landlord is perceived by many as being in a position of power and wealth, but in reality it is anything but. One of the more challenging aspects to being a landlord is the point in time when your home or apartment is finally ready to show to those people who are prospective tenants. For you have slaved for days or even months to get all the walls painted, the carpet freshly installed, appliances cleaned, and yard neatly manicured for those in need of a good home to live in. So what are those things you just shouldn’t do?

First and foremost-don’t show up drunk. Yes, I have actually had a number of applicants arrive at the appointed time, barely able to stand and reeking of beer. If it had only happened once, I could always right it off as one of those weird things, but it has actually happened three times in the last three years. In each case they did have a ride, but dealing with a drunk who insists they are the best candidate for the rental is not what I would consider a good time. ---read more here---

Redgage picture of the day-----Kangaroos

Enjoy!

Starting a new business now??!!!???

With the economy as it is the thought of starting a new business has crossed the mind of more than one of us. In fact it has probably crossed the mind of almost everyone who has had a bad day at work, watched a fellow employee lose his job or had their hours cut. The problem is that no matter what we may believe about the jobs we hold as being “ours”; in fact they belong to our employers and as such they control the most basic aspect of our lives, the ability to earn a reliable living. It always wasn’t so, in fact until the industrial revolution most people in this nation worked for themselves, usually on small farms or in the shops that they owned. Yes, we had employers, but the vast majority of the population made a living on their own using the brains that God gave them. Unfortunately, during the last few decades, we have all become accustomed to the “golden age” in which we live with readily available jobs that left our wits withering in the wind. Yet, with the last paradigm shift in our economy, or as our esteemed economists refer to it, “the jobless recovery”, we no longer can let us or our wits wither any further. To do so, would leave us at the mercy of our politicians to legislate a policy of theft from those who produce a surplus leaving us no better than the cattle of the local farm. Livestock that is to be slaughtered or fattened depending upon the needs of the farmer. So as I found myself entering the Christmas season, I discovered that my hours from my employer of several years no longer available, in fact they had been cut in half leaving me with the need to generate a plan of survival for myself and family for the new year.

To begin with, my family and I have always lived below our means, doing things to stretch our dollars and invest in the future. The good news, that other than the house we lived in and our rental properties, we have no debt, a situation few in this nation enjoy. So not being pressed to find an immediate source of income, we decided that we needed to branch out and build upon what we had started and build a business of our own that would allow us to control our destiny well into the future.---read more here----


Redgage picture of the day----Spreading Flamingos


Enjoy!

Why are men today such women?

I was reading the postings on a forum that I like to read and the question was asked, (not for the first time), “What has happened to the manly man?” It got me to thinking about how society has changed over the last few decades. When I was young, women were just starting to work outside the home on a regular basis, the ERA amendment was in full swing and the sexual revolution was at its peak. Men of that time understood that their first task was to get up each and every morning and get their rear ends to work and earn a living so that they and their own were able to have a good life. That wasn’t to say that a number of women didn’t earn a good living and provide the needed income for the family, but the men of that period of time weren’t the lazy and shiftless bunch of half wits they seem to be today, rather they had a purpose and went about getting things done.

Today that is no longer the case. These days, I have found that whenever I watch a television program or even a commercial, the men are portrayed as being less than capable. For example, you don’t see the woman in the commercial being belittled for forgetting that they use the newest product, but rather it is the man. When something dumb happens, all eyes turn to the male in the scene, never the woman. Even the children get into the act as demonstrated on one commercial where they get after the father for not having a plate under his burger and thus staining the table cloth. It is not so much that men don’t do dumb things, but if you were to take your impressions of today’s male from the television you would think he is about 25 IQ points below the average dog.---read more here----

Redgage picture of the day-----Wild Turkeys

Enjoy!

Pokemon-Black vs. White

Finally the Black and White Pokemon versions are to be released in the United States. Pokemon fans of all ages have you collected all of the various Pokemon yet? Well grab your pokeball, because the fifth generation of Pokemon is coming you way. Fresh from Nintendo DS, both the Black and White versions of Pokemon will be introducing a generation of never before seen Pokemon. In addition, any Pokemon fans who subscribe to the game’s motto of “Gotta catch them all” will have 156 new and never seen before Pokemon to collect. These new Pokemon will be featured in a never before seen region with a great new story line to go with it.

Both versions will feature new Pokemon that players will be able to catch, train and enter into battle with, but a few of these new Pokemon will be catchable only in the Black and White versions. In addition, for the first time in the series the two games will not have the same arenas, but rather each will have its own unique arena. In the Black version of the game, a metropolitan, (called Black City), setting will be used while the White version fields a lush green forest called fittingly “The White Forest”. Another first for these new games will be the changing of the seasons. These seasons will rotate at the beginning of each month much like the day & night concept in the Gold/Silver games. As is usually the case with Pokemon games, as the seasons change, various Pokemon will become more readily available as well as new areas to explore....Yes, I do need to learn to spell Pokemon correctly, but you can click here to read more----

Redgage Picture of the day----Dino World

Enjoy!

Are you enjoying your standard of living?

With our economy in the tank a question of what will happen in the future is in the forefront of most people’s minds. We have been looking at nearly 3 years of anemic economic growth, higher prices, a devalued dollar, and what jobs there are to be had, are either working for the government or at McDonalds. In fact, it is being reported that fully half of all private sector jobs created last month were at McDonalds and I really doubt these were $40,000 a year jobs. In a nation that must have an economy that produces at least 200,000 new private sector jobs monthly to account for the population growth, this is a terrible thing that can only lead to one result. That result would be a lower standard of living for each and every one of us.

Granted, our standard of living won’t drop overnight, but if we are to deal with ever increasing budget deficits, increased taxes and growing government, should we not expect our standard of living to decline? To the point, I would ask each and every one of you the following question, “If we actually believe in doing what is right for this nation, should we not lower our expectations in regards to our standard of living”? That’s right, since we have allowed our political leaders to spend what our grandchildren have not even earned, is it not our duty as citizens to give up the luxuries that we so enjoy?

It is my belief that no matter what we think, that is exactly what will happen during the next generation. We can even see the first signs of what will become the norm of the land. Our housing prices are in a free fall; those who have respectable jobs tend to be older and not normally inclined to move too often. That means any who buy are planning to buy a home will be younger with a lower base income, as they work at McDonalds, so a bank will not lend them the amount of cash as we enjoyed during our generation.(read more here)


Redgage photo of the day----(holly plant)


Enjoy!

Our deteriorating school system?

As my children are no longer part of the public school system, I am now beginning to be able to lift my head from the daily grind of living. It has been a bit of fresh air as I watch them step out into life on their own and I look forward to the prospect of seeing grandchildren running around the house, breaking my wife’s most precious knickknacks. One day while contemplating what grandchildren will mean, I heard a radio report of how poorly the schools in my part of Georgia were doing and how they faced the potential of a government takeover.

So what are the benefits of a public school education in today’s world? I realize that all of us pay taxes and the cheapest method in which to educate our children, (as required by law in all 50 states), would be to send them to public school. But is that the best thing for them? In the past 100+ years we have become accustomed to the idea that there is only one option for us, and that option being public schooling, but it wasn’t always the case. In the past, people either paid individuals to educate their children or educated them at home. So why aren’t we doing so now?

The simple answer is that we have been trained and educated to believe that there is only one best option, that of public schools. But in fact, the best educated people in our nation today are those who are home schooled followed by private education and trailed distantly by that of public education. So why don’t you education your children at home? Is it because you can’t afford it? It is my contention that we have been tricked into believing that if we don’t own the latest cell phone, newest car and the biggest house, we are not living the American dream. It has caused us to take on a two-income family, send our children to others to watch and acquire debt like no generation has ever before. For what purpose do we do such things? Don’t we want the best for our children or have we become so self-centered that we no longer think that the next generation must do better than the last? Are we the last and 2^nd greatest generation, 2^nd only to our parents who lived during the middle half of the 20^th century? (read more here)

Redgage photo of the day----(hibiscus)

Enjoy!

Do you eat locally? How far does your food travel?

Did you know that in the United States on average a single can, bag or portion of food would travel 1500 miles before it is consumed? Amazing, but true as we become more and more globalized we are increasingly relying on a more sophisticated and complicated distribution system for our food. For example, did you realize that all the food that is consumed at your local McDonalds comes from one of 19 distributors located throughout the United States? The largest of which is located in Irvine, California. So if you just used the distance the food is shipped from one of the distributors, it would be several hundred miles, but wait! If you looked a little closer, and determined who provided that food to the distributor, that range of transport would increase. If we used chicken nuggets as an example, most chicken nuggets are made at the Tyson factory in Nashville Arkansas, so it would not be inconceivable for those nuggets to travel from Nashville to California and back to Texas, thus reaching if not exceeding the average travel distance for the food we consume. If you were to add in the total amount of food that we import, such as winter grapes and vegetables from South America, it quickly becomes easy to understand why our food travels so much before it reaches out plates.

So you ask yourself, what is the big deal? Our food does a bit of travel before we buy it, we have the best system in the world and we can afford it! In general that is true, in fact I would even stipulate that 99.9% of the time being able to buy fresh grapes, vegetables and the like during the winter months is a good thing, but it is that one in a thousand that can really ruin your day, week or even take your life.

Yes, I firmly believe that we have the best systems in the civilized world. Furthermore, I believe that we can and will do ever better things in the future, but and there is always “a but”! There are too many people in this world who simply take pleasure in pulling down those who have done better than they have. It doesn’t matter the motivation of those who are envious of those who achieve, it is best to know that they exist and when you get enough of those who fall into the trap of envy, problems will arise. These problems can be as simple as a few protests and can quickly escalate into riots, (with looting), or even active terrorism and war. No matter how or why they occur, they will occur and do so on a regular basis. Couple this with an opportunity for a particularly bad storm or natural disaster and before you know it, the food distribution system breaks down.

(read more here)

 Redgage photo of the day-----pepper plant

Enjoy!

Is Gold really worth zero?

Have you heard those commercials that hawk the availability of gold and how it is an urgent need of any investor in today’s market? If not, you must have been living under a rock as they are everywhere and you can’t get away from them even by listening to the radio or reading the Internet. It’s almost like scabies, something you catch, yet can’t seem to determine where it came from or how to get rid of. Unfortunately, advertising is part of our world and it will always be that way, but for any investor a word of caution, investing in gold is one of those things that simply aren’t possible. You can own gold or sell gold, but you can never invest in it. Gold has no ability to expand or contract, grow or shrink, it simply is and unlike a company that can grow, the best use of gold is that of a pretty necklace or as part of an expensive watch that you can flash before your friends. Yet, though all of those gold commercials, one aspect strikes me as particularly funny. It’s the quote where they say, “gold has never been worth nothing”.

Think about that statement for a moment. Is it really true that gold has never been worth nothing? I find that statement to be rather hard to believe, for almost anything is possible though highly improbable. So can gold always retain value or is it one of those things, that we disillusion ourselves about in order to feel good. Much like we do when we say that the United States will never default upon its debts or the US Dollar is still the best currency to hold. Ten years ago, I might have believe that, 20 years ago, I would have been convinced, but today I know that the possibility of the United States government defaulting upon its debt is a very strong possibility and the only value the US Dollar holds is that of the inertia it has from being the default currency of the world. Once the world finds a new currency that it feels has better value or stronger legs, we will see just how strong it is. If you don’t believe me, ask someone about the Roman Denarius. A currency that was once dominant in the world and(read more here)


Redgage picture of the day-----black bear




Enjoy!

Heron's Steam Engine!

It is the hubris of most men, who look upon to the centuries of long ago, to feel that we are the most intelligent, advanced and civilized of any that has ever been. Yet, I wonder if that is actually true? Then the idea came to me one day while I was watching a bit of cable television, actually it was the history channel and they were talking about ancient technologies that mimic that of today’s world. After a bit it occurred to me that we as men and women of the 21^st century, are probably not the best there ever was. In fact, we are probably not even in the top five if we are to be honest about the way things are today.

First, if we are to look at military technology, many of us think we were the first to think of many of the modern weapons that we use in war today. That is far from the truth; take for example the flamethrower. A fearsome weapon that was first seen during the 2^nd World War and was feared by all those who faced it, but was it first seen at that time? Actually no, Greek fire has been known about and used at least two thousand years before the advent of the modern flamethrower. For those who are unfamiliar with Greek fire, it was a weapon that used a sticky and highly flammable fluid under pressure that shot a flame as far as 50 feet into the air. This weapon was so feared that many fleets simply would not engage the enemy if they though the enemy had the “fire”. Then there was the case of hand grenades. This is again a weapon that we all associate with the 2^nd World War, but were actually used by many nations including the Chinese. The same could be said for the advent of rockets, cannons, armored cars, etc.

Yet, if we searched we could find a number of examples where our forefathers used and developed technology that we associate with modern society. The clock is an example, where ancient Chinese and Greek, used water or the sun to tell time, we use quartz. Yet, the result was the same. There is the ample evidence of robots being used as part of religious ceremonies to awe the masses. In fact, one researcher suggested that one good way to improve your membership as well as the collection plate in ancient times was through the use of technology. Since, there is no evidence of television, the good old fashion church gathering was considered an excellent method of entertainment for the masses. So the churches of the time did their best to have the latest and greatest of entertainments in order to inspire the awe of their members. Robots and mechanical technology played a significant part in this. Something we only associate with modern society.

(read more here)

Redgage picture of the day-----fountain grass

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A lack of hobbies and our disposible society!

Things have changed since we were children. When we were young we played outside, climbing trees, building forts and generally exploring the world as no one before us ever had. It was through this wonder of exploration we matured and developed until we reached the point of our early teens and began to develop our life interests, which quickly developed into hobbies. Generally, many of these hobbies were the same ones our parents enjoyed, but as with each generation they were updated to modern times. Fathers who worked on tractors and other large machinery had sons and daughters who morphed that love to one of cars and hot rods. Others enjoyed woodworking and building rockets, or other more mundane hobbies such as coin collecting or antiques. Yet today, we have children whose greatest desire in life is to play video games and hunker down before the television for days on end. What has happened to our youth today, a youth were there is no desire to see what the greater world has, but rather would be content to fill their faces with a bit of fast food chicken and be living at home until they are 35.

I realize that this is more of a rant, but where is society going? We are looking at not one but several generations in a row where each generation seems to have more book knowledge, but less ability. Every family has the desire for each generation to do better than the last and in many cases the best hope of doing better was to increase one’s education and use that increased knowledge to move forward and upward in society. (read more here)




Redgage picture of the day----Uncle Sam


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Does personal responsibility still exist?

I was watching a little television with my parents today and saw a show that normally wouldn’t even pop up on my radar screen. It was the Judge Joe Brown show where people who have a beef with each other volunteer, (with pay of course), to air their differences in front of a national television audience. Of course, we are entertained throughout the show with the snaky comments from the Judge himself, but what caught my attention was one particular episode when a man “borrowed” his girlfriend’s car and then rolled it. Since the car was basically totaled, the owner, who did not have comprehensive coverage, demanded compensation for her damaged car. The demand for compensation to the owner was quickly denied as being unreasonable and that boyfriend indicated that he was not responsible for any damages due to the accident not being his “fault”. In other words, since someone cut him off, anything that happened after that was no longer his responsibility. Though the Judge ruled that the boyfriend was responsible, it was clear that not only was the boyfriend upset, but so was the owner’s daughter, (the girlfriend). The looks on the faces of the couple made me think!  What has happened to personal responsibility in the world today?

Time was, if someone borrowed, used or otherwise took possession for an object that you owned, they always returned it not only when they said they would, but it would be clean and in as good as working order as when they borrowed it. If they stayed the night, they would clean up after themselves and even offered to help with the dishes. That doesn’t seem to happen anymore in this nation of ours. I have a friend that recently let another borrow a sander, after six months it still hadn’t been returned even though it was promised to be back within a day or two. Later the borrower confessed that he had actually lost it and since he didn’t have the money and it wasn’t his fault that his wife moved it, he shouldn’t have to pay for a new one. Needless to say, this didn’t go down well and it was agreed, (after the threat of broken knees), that the borrower would have a new sander in my friend’s hand the next day. The fact that someone would borrow something and not return it, simply floored me. I had always lived with the motto, never borrow unless you must and if you do, then treat it better than if it was your own. The fact that most people don’t live by this motto is totally alien to me.(read more here)

Redgage picture of the day-----parrot

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