There’s a crime wave going on of stolen catalytic converters in my town, but now I understand the same thing is going on everywhere. Apparently, the sharp rise in the price of palladium has sparked all of this. The criminals come in the middle of the night and cut out the catalytic converter from underneath your car.
Author: Henry Barnard
I am a voracious reader and also enjoy writing. I often have a very different point of view than the popular one. I do see value in debate, and thought it might add to the public debate on controversial issues if I were to express my contrarian opinions. I also started keeping my poems recently (I've written little pieces my whole adult life but never kept any); and I've been a photographer now for over 25 years. So I will be adding an occasional poem and hopefully interesting photograph to the blog along the way, just to spice things up.
Good Trade?
We’ve swopped out a leader as president for one who is clueless. Was that a good trade? I think the country is now in serious decline. It’s a boat without a rudder. And don’t think for a second that the rest of the world doesn’t realize this.
Best Philosophy
Amor fati.
Changing Markets
I think energy sector may be running out of steam, as it has come a long way in a short amount of time…oil may be peaking here, but it won’t be a drop — more of a sideways consolidation, I think. Just my opinion. Also, I’ve noticed a bearish sentiment emerging in the housing sector. The builders are all down today hard, as is Zillow. There’s talk the wood and other commodity prices are causing the builders problems. And housing prices have already gone through the roof — pun intended. It could well be that houses are now priced too high for the available buyers.
Tiny Minority of One
I tend to be pro-Russian and pro-Putin, which makes me a tiny minority of one in the US. I think Putin has done a lot for Russia, including creating a very stable country over the last 2 decades — the last thing the West should want is an unstable Russia with its large nuclear arsenal. And he has acted with a lot of restraint relative to his foreign policy. Given that the clear majority of people in Crimea are Russian (56% versus 24% Ukrainian), the annexation of that country into Russia was justified and ultimately sanctioned by popular vote.
It’s unfortunate that the US doesn’t reverse course and seek closer ties with Russia. That would produce a safer and more stable world.
Killer Drones
What our future looks like…
48 Hour Fast
I ate quite a bit of food at the end of this fast, in a very short amount of time. I wonder if that is typical — overeating at the end of a longer fast? I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I took that first bite, and then food craving kicked in big time. So now I’m thinking the next time I do 48 hrs., I’ll try to limit the amount of food when the fasts ends. Seems counterproductive to do a long fast, and then eat an enormous number of calories when it ends.
Modern Slave Trade
They estimate that 700,000 people are trafficked every year, and about half are children, with adolescent girls being a primary target. Only about 1 percent are caught in this illegal trade. An open-borders mentality among politicians facilitates this crime, a crime against humanity.
A Little Bit Crazy
How to make yourself a little bit crazy? Just read the headlines in the American online newsie sites. How to remain calm and sane? Don’t read them.
Leaving
Watch the rich start leaving the country when the tax hikes begin. Same thing happened in France for the last 15 years. The super rich vote with their feet.
Henry's Views 