Five years ago today: October 7, 2013, even if you aren't involved.
Nine years ago today: October 7, 2009, these boots.
Random years ago today: October 7, 2011, I memorize the words.
Here’s another of my pictures concerning the potential of the United States. This is an ordinary display of lawn tractors in an ordinary US small city. There are probably ten other stores in the area with a similar sidewalk show. Recession or not, this surplus of consumer items is still the defining feature of American capability, even if they are no longer made here. They were designed and originally manufactured here and they can do it again. There are probably more lawn tractors in Polk County than in all of North Korea. But we are supposed to believe they are a perilous enemy. The primary function of their military seems to be dreaming up new medals to award each other.
I have news. The hotdog insurance place, FLIP, refused to issue me a policy. The reason given is that when they said they “did their best” to keep customer information confidential, I asked a couple pointed questions about their best. It’s just a stock phrase to make customers think they actually take measures. Nope. They don’t do a thing, trusting some other outfit on-line that stores records (the cloud again) to have controls. But Thomas B. at FLIP, the manager, instructed the staff to not answer questions about security and wrongly denied me a policy.
[Author’s note: the real objection, I believe, is that Thomas B. became aware that my questions revealed the whole outfit over there to be so mentally repressed that they did not know it was possible to keep records on a computer without being on the Internet. That’s about as millennial as it gets.]
I stayed in last evening as the only entertainment in the area was over in Bartow at the old club. Nothing ever happens in Bartow. Well, except when I’m not there with my camera. There was a brawl on the street in front of the joint that called out every available police officer. It involved some thirty drunks who had already been oiled up by a grand opening of new lounge over in the east end. According to Dawn, there were beer glasses flying and open fisticuffs.
But, in keeping with the fairness you find at every level in America, no arrests were made. The cops were pushed, spit on, and resisted. You see, all thirty perpetrators were women. I always seem to miss all the fun lately. I got another ten bucks says nothing will be said in the newspapers. So it is recorded right, this incident took place in the street, not inside the pub, who were unaware of it until the Karaoke guy, on a break, rushed in and told them they’d better dial 911. All the violence was outside in the smoking section. Right where I’d have otherwise set up a hotdog cart. And they say I don’t need insurance.
As far as I'm concerned, the media is going to have to adopt some other model than advertising to survive the next twenty years. I would also like to see a separation in the definitions of artistic creation and ownership. Canada is proposing a tax on Internet use if the media can be used to record copyrighted data. To me, that merely confirms what I've been saying since the 80s. That the artist who creates is rarely the beneficiary of the rights later in time. Subsequent "owners" who are not artists have too long wailed as if they were the ones whose talent has been stolen. I say their rights should be defined as an entirely different type of ownership. They are a separate recording industry and should not have any special legal protection that other industries do not.
And I'm all for Uber scooters if they hasten the demise of the totally corrupt US taxi system. Corrupt from top to bottom and everywhere in between. Or how about flying trains? 4,400 HP V-16?
Great Hungarian Plain.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.
Another $93 into the sub-panel making it the single most expensive entity in my house. But it is also the most up-to-date, and is capable of more should the need arise. The pleasant weather had me in Winter Haven, enjoying an extra coffee and reading a booklet on celestial navigation. Early in my studies it became evident one had to read as many books as possible on the topic to learn anything. Each author has a different take and not one of them really explains the whole process adequately. The only consistency is the order in which to do things, but that is more fixed by the mechanicals needed than the teaching ability of the various authors.
I bought all the breakers necessary, not trusting other stores in the area to have stock, as explained last day. I’m getting under the house later this afternoon, knee-ache or not. I had earlier stopped at Agt. R’s to pick up a copy of the business license. It turns out they only gave us a receipt, but to me that’s still a go-ahead. And the blonde lady from the commissary has now assumed her new position as president-elect of the Downtown Business Association. This will be news to JZ as he’ll remember how I penciled her in for greatness (locally speaking) the day I first met her. That was the day I decided to stop for coffee at the first place that sold any and spoke English.
This puts a bit of a spin on matters. I’ll refresh the memory. The office that said they would not allow us to sell hotdogs because there was another place that was already okayed, even though they were not in point of fact selling hotdogs. Well, that office now works for guess who? Things are apparently at a standstill, but we have momentum in the right direction. I know these are the times when most new businesses fold. But be assured I’m not discouraged because I’ve seen it and know what it is. I’ve learned that you can’t really plan for success. You more like keep moving in that general direction until hopefully you overtake some portion of it. The location thing is all-important right now and it turns out there was no location at all. I think there is an antique fair this Friday, keep checking back. The time to move it is now.
