Johnny Depp

Reading about Johnny Depp's horrible management of his money, I'm reminded how overpaid are the male superstars of Hollywood. They are worthless. Completely without value. They could be replaced in a day just by browsing the theatre department at a local university. Talent is plentiful. Talent is everywhere. There is not an actor in Hollywood worth more than a million a year. Instead of spending 2 million a month on a lavish lifestyle, Depp should be moonlighting at McDonald's. Real, honest work would do him a world of good. Never saw the fascination with spoiled, addicted, selfish, puffed up no-talents like that one. Spending $5 million to blast Hunter Thompson's ashes over Colorado is the height of stupidity. Why not just gather millions of dollars and have a bonfire with it, why don't you? Meanwhile, the rest of us work for a living.

Insurance Stocks

Insurance companies should do well under Trump's presidency, because the Republicans will ensure a massive transfer of wealth takes place from the lower classes to the insurance companies, which should enjoy double-digit growth in their share prices as they provide less and charge more.

Bad Brands for Kitchen Appliances

I wasn't surprised to hear a Hotpoint refrigerator killed scores in England. There are certain brands of kitchen appliances, that if your landlord has installed them, you know he wants to save every dime, and could care less whether you burn to death, screaming in agony while watching your family meet the same fate. By the way, I hope the authorities do put the landlords behind bars, because what they did is just as bad as a drunk driver killing people--just pure negligent greedy stupidity. If a poor man goes to jail for shoplifting a pack of cigarettes, then a rich man should go to jail when his decisions kill people. There are some manufacturers that should simply be liquidated by the government, because their products are just bad and wasteful of materials, if not indeed hazardous. Hotpoint and Magic Chef are two that come to mind. I have first hand experience with both.

Basically, any brand that occupies the lowest 5% of the price range. These types of appliances are missing quality materials that result in a minor price break for the greedy landlord--who, in the end, probably won't save money, because he will be forced to replace the shoddy appliance prematurely. Greedy landlords are stupid.

Good brands include Frigidaire and Kenmore, although Kenmore is a no-go because it requires buying through antiquated and tone-deaf Sears, which is destined to go bankrupt over the next five years.

Alright, Canada!

A Canadian sniper, regrettably but understandably anonymous, made a World record against an ISIS-idiot: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/23/how-canadas-tiny-military-produced-deadly-record-breaking-snipers/

On the one hand, it is surprising, because Canada is not known for its military, but on the other hand, Canada is an awesome country with its act together. I have long believed the United States should study Canada and reproduce its health care system, election system, and probably education and police as well. Canada does things right.

The strongest contrast is between Canada's superb health system and the horrible political football that is our health system, where a poor person just goes to the emergency room when things get bad enough. Our problem is caused by the Republicans. They want to let the poor die, because the poor deserve it, in their view, for being lazy, unlucky, immoral and/or stupid, and evolution needs to occur. Let Mother Nature take her toll and cull out the weak. The Republicans figure, let the poor suffer and die, and that way, there are less of them to worry about, and the ones that survive will work harder to stay alive. The Democrats say, wait a minute, other countries have health care and aren't going broke, why can't we? And healthy poor people tend to be happier and more productive than sick poor people. The question is whether poor people are a resource or a liability. Republicans say liability, so let 'em suffer, let 'em die.

In the end, Republicans don't care about the poor, and Democrats do. The irony is that a lot of poor people vote Republican just because they like that lilly-white Republican brand. It's all about race and tribal identity. Obama was a Negro taking the place of a long line of old white men. It got the racists all up in a lather, and they crawled out of the woodwork, enough for the Republicans to steamroll to victory in D.C.

The greatest irony of all are the religious right, the self-professed "Christians" that support Trump and the Republicans, based upon things like abortion or gays or whatever the current socially conservative brouhaha might be. I really have to call into question their religious scruples in supporting rich old white men letting the poor suffer and die, just so the rich can get richer. Is that would Jesus would do? Eh? I think the liberal churches have it right and are more in tune with Jesus, and if I were ever to go Christian, it would be the real, authentic Christianity, not this faux Christianity of the religious right, with their Biblical literalism. They take religion like lawyers, not like saints. They can't be right.

Sears

Whoever is in charge at Sears is a royal jerk. Sears wants the home internet surfer to become a "member" of some stupid "Sears club" to earn "points" as though we are living in 1970, instead of 2017. Then there are all the "gotchas" like free delivery, until Sears applies automatic discounts to a $440 purchase, bringing it three dollars under the minimum for free delivery, which is $399, resulting in a $69.99 delivery charge. No thank you, Home Depot is one click away. Sears really deserves to go out of business, because their web site is nothing but a time-waster with traps for the unwary.

The Angry Male Shooter

Angry male shooter knows no political party, race, religion or ideology. Left, right, theist, atheist, seems like angry male pops up in the headlines all the time. The only pattern is that the shooter is angry and male. I don't know about any cases of women going crazy and shooting people, although that probably has happened somewhere. Pity that the angry males can't get together and have a shoot-out with each other, instead of bringing down the non-shooters. The angry folk seem to go after those that aren't angry, as if they're jealous of other people's happiness.

It would be interesting to know whether incidents of men going amok have been on the increase or decrease through the centuries, both nationally and worldwide, but I think records are sketchy prior to the advent of computer databases. I suspect that the present time is not much worse than times past. The only thing that may have changed is that guns are easier to get, cheaper and more powerful. That, and news coverage is pervasive--we drown in instant information about every single incident. In the past, things were covered up much more easily. Incidents of men running amok were only reported locally, sometimes only by word of mouth, rather than blared out in the headlines on the Internet. We must not be misled by our Information Age into thinking the situation is worse than it is.

The Little Chipmunk

A middle-aged chipmunk left a pamphlet just for my eyes to see, one of those illustrated palm-sized cartoons that I've seen a thousand times before, explaining how the only key out of Hell's prison is Jesus--that is, the crazed and ignorant Jesus of his abominable cult. I left it on the desk where he had placed it. Faux Christians such as the little chipmunk always resort to passive-aggressiveness to fulfill their petty impulses. A bit of kindness would go a lot further than one of his stupid pamphlets, let me tell you.

Kathy Griffin

I remain dismayed with my favorite comedian, Kathy Griffin, because her stunt posing with the head of Trump was bad in every conceivable way. There is no possible way to defend the thing.

The trouble with Kathy Griffin is she went out of her comfort zone. She is best on her feet, alone, in front of a live audience. She fell into one of the oldest traps there is. The person she tried to poke fun at, Trump, she made into a victim, and for once Trump actually got sympathy from the left. She alienated her best fans. I have to wonder whether she has gone completely bonkers due to these fad diets she keeps taking to strive after a 20-something appearance in a 50-something body. She has a good look, but it's a struggle, because she's gotten quite old now and she's not at all comfortable with being old and is scared to death of being sidelined by younger, more attractive comedians, both male and female. Her fear and her mental befuddlement due to the diet pills is what resulted in lack of judgment. But her star will diminish now. I hope she goes back to live performances.

Almost Like Magic

Reflecting upon the world-currents that caused me the most grief, I can identify three, over the course of my life.

One: the Soviet Union. When I was a boy, we all expected to be blown up in nuclear war. That was the norm. Not only would mankind be reduced by death and radiation to half-breed mutants, but the world would become largely uninhabitable. I thought about this and prayed about it, too. Now the Soviet Union is gone, and for a while it looked as though things would be hunky-dory in that neck of the woods, but then Putin came along. Evil has a way of reinventing itself. H. Sapiens remains upon the brink. Future generations must cope with the possibility of annihilation.

Two: homosexuality. Again, when I Was a boy, I reckoned I should kill myself, because I was the only one in the world that way. That was real and that was an almost-was. Maybe in an alternative Universe, I'm not around anymore. But in this Universe, I have a strong survival instinct that outweighs the social anxiety. I brooded over this many a night and longed for a world that was different. What surprised me is that the West changed. Not the savage parts of the world, but the civilized, good and Christian West. Now, I can actually talk to priests, police officers, politicians, teachers, and neighbors about my husband. There is no need to hide. Secrets are unnecessary. That, to me, is amazing, and a miracle really, and I wonder whether it is some kind of collective white magic at work. I never expected all of this to transpire in my own lifetime. The speed with which change occurred is what surprises me. Our race, and by that I mean H. Sapiens, is awakening from a long nightmare of ignorance.

Three: marijuana. When I was a teenager, this plant was considered a heinous crime, due to hysterical propaganda that millions of people really believed. It is hard for people today to fathom the power of the Great American Drug War, which focused almost exclusively against marijuana. There are a lot of good people that were put into prison just because of that plant, but millions more were kicked out of school, fired, lost custody of their children, or other things, all because of a plant that is gentler than liquor. I was evangelical for the truth and had no patience with the lies. I told everyone I knew what I perceived to be the reality. Due to the efforts of many, marijuana is legal in some states and sold in retail stores. I never expected that to happen in my day. The lies that were manufactured to keep it illegal have lost their potency, and H. Sapiens is awakening to the wonderful and hopeful Truth. Even in my lifetime, it is possible marijuana will be legal in all of the West and that it will replace, to a large extent, that vile substance, the curse of our race, the product of Death, alcohol.

I think that each of us can perceive trends and racial thoughts that are shared by many and that is why it is possible to make predictions about the future of our civilization.

Laziness Vs. Dishonesty

The bottom line for me is Trump reeks of Corruption. It is obvious to anyone with eyes that see. Trump just comes right out and reveals his nature. He doesn't even try very hard to hide it. That is a sign of laziness. Which is worse, the dishonesty or the laziness? That depends on the situation.

There are many who see that Trump is Corrupt, and then rationalize that "everyone is corrupt, so what does it matter, and Trump says the things I believe, so he is all right." This is not surprising. It is to be expected. Selfishness is common, base, whereas Ethics is a real stretch for H. Sapiens, a recent innovation that we are gradually adopting.

Trump's Corruption

James Comey's testimony is damning of Trump, painting a picture of a vain, corrupt buffoon--exactly the person Trump appears. Comey's words have the ring of truth about them.

The Paris Climate Accord

I think Trump may be right to pull out. I see two alternatives.

One, we continue buying oil from terrorists and criminal states. They will give us a haircut. They are colluding right now to raise the price of oil to make the U.S. pay more. Russia is an evil, war-mongering kleptocracy, pure and simple. Saudi Arabia finances global terrorism, Islamic fanaticism, and religious intolerance, as do many other oil-producing nations. That results in more crime, more war, and trillions spent overseas bombing towel-heads. Global warming drastically increases as bombs and intentional destruction release carbon into the atmosphere, and the people on the ground obviously don't give a hoot about emissions.

The second alternative is the one I prefer: the U.S. produces the carbon-based fuels we need, and we quit transferring so much of our wealth into the hands of criminals and terrorists. This will, in the long term, reduce global warming, because there will be less crime and less conflict in the world, as the criminals and fanatics lose funding. The only reason ISIS was ever a problem was because the Arabs had too much money in their hands, and they don't know what to do with it. Cause trouble is the only thing they know how to do. Same with Russia. More money, more trouble.

Anything that keeps wealth in these United States and out of the hands of the ne'er-do-wells of the world is a good thing. Saudi Arabia in a thousand years has not freed women from slavery, and Russia, given a hundred years, still has a greedy tyrant at the top who starts wars of aggression to acquire territory. Anything to starve those nations and their fellow-travelers is, on balance, good for the world, and will help to stop global warming.

Party's Over, Blitches

I moved my money from stocks to balanced funds, only because a part of me still hates bonds with their lousy < 3% rate. But party's over for stocks. I was warned, now you are too. This is the high water mark. Tide comes in, tide recedes.

Hay hay hay! In May, go away, baybay!

Iran and Rouhani

I'm pleased Rouhani, the supposed "liberal, women's rights reformist" in Iran, won. But he's held back by the same forces that hold back the U.S. in the thrall of Trump and the Republicans. Conservative, ignorant, lazy, do-nothing, learn-nothing, never-crack-a-book folks opposed to education, opposed to ideas, opposed to thinking, opposed to anything that does not involve delusional religion, alcohol, sex, or sugar. These people just want to kill, maim, torture their perceived "enemies", and if they win, then America and Iran will go to war at some point in the future.

Whenever I get down about the U.S., I just browse the information we have on Iran, and that scenario is far more depressing. In Iran, suicide is justifiable, even rational, given the prognosis, a nuclear holocaust, and the current state of affairs, a police state where torture is the norm. To procreate in Iran is evil, and only an evil person would want to have children there. Death is moral and ethical in Iran.

Automation Nation

Driverless cars, driverless trucks? Pilotless planes? There aren't going to be many jobs left for our ever-increasing population. Which means warfare must decimate the people. We are going to have to kill every third person, some way, some how, in order to maintain the standard of living. Perhaps the government can mandate a cyanide pill lottery. If Americans can't stomach forcible birth control, then people are going to have to die anyway. The Republicans have signaled at every turn, they're for people dying, so that's probably where we are going to go. Can't pay a minimum level of taxes? Cyanide pill for you. Either that or forcible organ donation and medical experimentation on the one thing left with any value--the human body. In the end, we will just be livestock for the rich, the Trumps and Trump-wannabes of the world.

Ubuntu Going Public

Understanding arrived for "Rocketvalue" that he doesn't really know what he's doing, based on Unity's flop, Mir's crash, and the mobile phone fiasco. That's what happens when you close your mind against those that have seen a thing or two in their day and go off half-cocked thinking you're going to change the world. Change nothing, except your bank account for the worse. Sure, with today's overheated stock market, cash out. You're guaranteed to claw back those losses, because there are fools a-plenty buying stocks these days, with about 40-to-1 being the average P/E ratio among the Mid- and Small- cap U.S. stocks, as though disaster never occurs in human history.

You may be too late, though. A crash could happen any day now, with Trump's amateur hour, and you're still not public. Should have done this months ago. I completed my migration from 100% stocks into balanced, 60-40 funds, but feel that bonds might even be the better choice. I'm just not sure the moment is right for bonds, with their low rates. Maybe in late 2018?

Prescience

When we arrived at T.J. Maxx, a thought formed of a crystal ball. Sure, I had seen them there before. Soon I found a really nice big one, perfect really, at a mere $30. Now it lies covered upon a blue table with other artifacts for proof against dust.

It is beautiful, beside its utilitarian features, and even if were never used for anything in particular, it makes a good shelf piece. I intend to use it, but not now. Later, maybe even many years from now.

Indonesia

Indonesia is a sorry fanatical Muslim country, which sentenced a Christian governor to two years for merely giving an opinion on a passage in the Koran. No immigration should be allowed from Indonesia. Goods from Indonesia should be taxed at a rate of no less than 100% to reflect the cost of terrorism, which Indonesia exports. Trump is definitely right about the need to wise up about hostile foreign countries. A large number of Muslims have committed their lives to murdering or converting all non-Muslims. To pretend otherwise is willful ignorance, in the face of a stream of media reports that prove the intent to do harm. Indonesia is by no means the most radical Islamic regime, it is merely the one with the least excuse for being so, because it is outside the Middle East.

Four Things About Me

1. I believe that sex is O.K. and also "no big deal," which means, we should not make a big deal out of it. Homosexuality, heterosexuality--neither is very important in the grand scheme of things, and the gods do not care. We can take it or leave it. In the future, it is likely that the human species, barring some catastrophe, if Progress continues and the Zombie Apocalypse is averted, will procreate in the laboratory rather than the womb. Romantics shudder, but realists rejoice. Sex is rather inefficient and problematic, if one is honest.

2. I believe that it is possible to love and understand most, if not all, human beings, and to pity those that one does not understand nor wish to understand.

3. I believe that kindness is a better policy than cruelty, even for pragmatic reasons, let alone ethics.

4. I believe in the System, but realize that it goes berserk sometimes, like any machine. It is berserk against marijuana and prostitution. It is berserk against the Middle East. We have no truck with the Middle East. We have truck with North America and, to a much lesser extent, South America. Our interests are in the New World. Our leaders need to glue their eyeballs to a globe and ponder the wisdom therein. This is the United States of America, not of Afghanistan, thank you not at all. So why did we blow a trillion dollars in that dump?

The Failure of the Establishment

Putin-aligned governments arise in the West due to two key failures of asinine establishment governments. In a spasm of Kumbaya loving-thy-neighbor myopia, they opened up their national borders to hostile outsiders from alien cultures, inviting trouble, and neglected to take meaningful action on jobs. They had to do only two things. Close the borders and expel the Islamists by any means necessary. Stop importing cheap stuff from Asia, and start employing your own workers. It really is as simple as that. Due to the failure of the establishment to grasp these political necessities, Putin's dark star ascends.

In the final analysis, evil intelligence will triumph over good incompetence, ten times out of ten. The only reason good prevails is that is the only way that does not lead to self-destruction. Evil vanquishes itself--intelligent or not. The very nature of evil works against it.

If mankind is, on balance, evil, then the next conclusion is self-evident.