Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

18 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

The Z06 starts in the 6 figure range. It starts at $112k. Add the "performance package" for another 9k (which should be standard on a Z06, right?) and it's a 120k car before changing paint, wheels or interior colors. 

What ever the entry level version is, I thought it was the Z06, but as @oldshurst442 pointed out would seem I am thinking of the base Stingray version as a focus point. Yet if it is a $60K car, I doubt many can think of having it as an extra weekend cruiser.

[A Horse With No Name]

17 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/lasalle-police-illegal-border-crossing-us-kayak-rcmp-windsor-1.7602298

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/article/lasalle-officer-thwarts-attempted-illegal-entry-into-canada/

 

A routine property check turned into a surprising discovery early Wednesday morning, according to police.

Shortly before 1:00 a.m., a LaSalle police officer checking a commercial property on the 1800 block of Front Road spotted a man at the water’s edge of the Detroit River with two backpacks and a kayak.

Investigators say the 51-year-old U.S. citizen was attempting to illegally enter Canada. He was detained and handed over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for further investigation.

Police Chief Michael Pearce praised the officer, saying, “This is an outstanding example of how proactive policing can yield positive results. While conducting a simple property check, our officer helped prevent an illegal entry into Canada.”

 

A defector...

Reminiscent of former Eastern block folk from  the 1980s...

If I could dump American Citizenship for Canadian, I would do it this afternoon.  No hesitation. 

1 hour ago, G. David Felt said:

What ever the entry level version is, I thought it was the Z06, but as @oldshurst442 pointed out would seem I am thinking of the base Stingray version as a focus point. Yet if it is a $60K car, I doubt many can think of having it as an extra weekend cruiser.

AT 60K, my house is almost paid off, hell I could buy that in a few years comfortably. 

I want to travel, badly. 

More evidence the economy is going in the tank. Salad I eat sometimes at lunch was $8.50 in 2022, 12.50 last fall, now $15.00. A trade war and other things, we are going to have double digit inflation and double digit unemployment before this is over. I don't know that the car market as we know it will survive. 

Interesting video. 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Lot of folks also gambling locally, so I don't see Vegas coming back. 

[G. David Felt]

10 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

I want to travel, badly. 

More evidence the economy is going in the tank. Salad I eat sometimes at lunch was $8.50 in 2022, 12.50 last fall, now $15.00. A trade war and other things, we are going to have double digit inflation and double digit unemployment before this is over. I don't know that the car market as we know it will survive. 

Interesting video. 

 

Would love to travel and check out Banggai, that looks amazing.

Vegas is dead, usually my yearly tradeshow has 20-30K attendees, this year barely over 6K. The place was dead and with Gestapo ICE everywhere, most are just old white boomers now it would seem based on my visit this year. They must think the Golden age of the Rat Pack is coming back or something.

Costs are so crazy. Last year summer, Costco Butter was 5.99 for the 4lb package, by Xmas it was $9.99 and now it is $13.99. Due to Tariffs, the better butter Kerrygold from Ireland that was $8.99 last summer and I bought a ton of it at Xmas for cooking and entertaining and froze a bunch so I would have it due what I felt was a crazy increase in price is now $16.99 with tariff at Costco for the 3lb package. Just double checked, it is 2lbs.

Costs are crazy high and it is amazing the idiots that are delusional about it in supporting Idiot47.

EDIT: Kerrygold butter is $16.99, not $17.99 still crazy expensive compared to last year. Costco Kirkland Signature butter is $13.99, so 1 dollar more than I remembered when I wrote this up.

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[A Horse With No Name]

We chatted about Corvettes, here is a C3 that has a VERY wild ride in a drag race, driver saves it at the last second. Race is at the 35 minute mark, you see more of the car at the 40:45 mark. Extremely impressed with the fabrication and build quality of this thing. 

 

Clapped out C4 is sent over a cliff in Alaska, you see the car at 1:13, see it go over a cliff at 39:45. 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Interesting, a train for carrying Nuclear Waste. 

[ccap41]

2 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Costs are so crazy. Last year summer, Costco Butter was 5.99 for the 4lb package, by Xmas it was $9.99 and now it is $12.99. Due to Tariffs, the better butter Kerigold from Ireland that was $8.99 last summer and I bought a ton of it at Xmas for cooking and entertaining and froze a bunch so I would have it due what I felt was a crazy increase in price is now $17.99 with tariff at Costco for the 3lb package

Kirkland-brand butter? Which kind?

Edited Thursday at 07:13 PM by ccap41

[oldshurst442]

2 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Would love to travel and check out Banggai, that looks amazing.

Vegas is dead, usually my yearly tradeshow has 20-30K attendees, this year barely over 6K. The place was dead and with Gestapo ICE everywhere, most are just old white boomers now it would seem based on my visit this year. They must think the Golden age of the Rat Pack is coming back or something.

Costs are so crazy. Last year summer, Costco Butter was 5.99 for the 4lb package, by Xmas it was $9.99 and now it is $12.99. Due to Tariffs, the better butter Kerigold from Ireland that was $8.99 last summer and I bought a ton of it at Xmas for cooking and entertaining and froze a bunch so I would have it due what I felt was a crazy increase in price is now $17.99 with tariff at Costco for the 3lb package.

Costs are crazy high and it is amazing the idiots that are delusional about it in supporting Idiot47.

Well, the Trump regime (and American dairy farmers) wants American dairy to enter the Canadian market so he put a big tariff on Canadian dairy and they also want us to eliminate our quotas to allow the American dairy farmers to flood our market with your dairy.  I guess that would help your market with dairy prices as that would mean Canadian dairy to be wiped out completely out of existence.  

Its simple though, stop over producing milk in your US market and then maybe the prices would just stabilize in your market. Because their is an over production of milk from American dairy farmers that they have to destroy millions of gallons of milk...     Having production quotas might make prices slightly more expensive, but no where near to what you guys are experiencing now, it does make for a more predictable outcome in how much a dairy farmer will sell, how much he needs to sell, how many workers he needs etc, and will definitely eliminate over supply and price fluctuations due to over supply.   Also, a dairy farmer need not hire people to destroy over produced milk.  No profit in that to spend money on throwing out your supply...

But hey, yet another crappy American ideology that your friendly neighbor to the north has to contend with and deal with. 

Canada is married to a peaked in high school drop-out, raggedy assed prostitute who lies, steals, cheats and has no respect for itself and is forced to continue to be abused  bonded in holy matrimony because America  allow  in God they trust and God does not allow divorce.  Canada is sooooooo ready for divorce and there are many suitors around, but Canada and all her suitors know how much of a jealous psychopath the US is and are trying to navigate through it all without any major consequences to the children (the trade routes that the US begat and forged with the world)   

The world is afraid that the US will go bat shyte crazy like Glen Close in fatal attraction and Canada will find its pet rabbbit in a stew... 

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

If I could dump American Citizenship for Canadian, I would do it this afternoon.  No hesitation. 

AT 60K, my house is almost paid off, hell I could buy that in a few years comfortably. 

I want to travel, badly. 

More evidence the economy is going in the tank. Salad I eat sometimes at lunch was $8.50 in 2022, 12.50 last fall, now $15.00. A trade war and other things, we are going to have double digit inflation and double digit unemployment before this is over. I don't know that the car market as we know it will survive. 

Interesting video. 

 

 

3 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Would love to travel and check out Banggai, that looks amazing.

Vegas is dead, usually my yearly tradeshow has 20-30K attendees, this year barely over 6K. The place was dead and with Gestapo ICE everywhere, most are just old white boomers now it would seem based on my visit this year. They must think the Golden age of the Rat Pack is coming back or something.

Costs are so crazy. Last year summer, Costco Butter was 5.99 for the 4lb package, by Xmas it was $9.99 and now it is $12.99. Due to Tariffs, the better butter Kerigold from Ireland that was $8.99 last summer and I bought a ton of it at Xmas for cooking and entertaining and froze a bunch so I would have it due what I felt was a crazy increase in price is now $17.99 with tariff at Costco for the 3lb package.

Costs are crazy high and it is amazing the idiots that are delusional about it in supporting Idiot47.

 

Canadians are keeping their ELBOWS UP and avoiding the US.

Quite frankly....PHOQUE the US!!! 

 

[oldshurst442]

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

If I could dump American Citizenship for Canadian, I would do it this afternoon.  No hesitation. 

Maple Maga has very quickly quieted down.  Oh...there is an extreme right movement here too.  The diehards are just as die hard as your morons.  But not as abundant.  Our morons are slightly more educated than yours so the ones that actually do think, saw and thought about what is what and learned the consequences of being willfully ignorant and stupid through the actions of Trump, through the inactions of decent Americans, and learned very quickly that the extreme right movement is just not good.  Like I said though, the maple maga movement does exist. And they are just as a lost cause as your maga movement.  Problem is though that your maga movement is holding the world hostage. It be OK if it were only their own demise, but they are bringing the whole planet down. At least in the short term.  In the long term, the US will be all alone when all of this is over. Whenever that will be.  Even its life long partner in Canada has mostly said to move on from the US.  Not a good thing for America.  

 

 

[G. David Felt]

21 hours ago, ccap41 said:

Kirkland-brand butter? Which kind?

Good basic butter, just crazy the increase in prices since last summer. 

Made a mistake as I looked at the box at Costco, it is 2lbs for the Kerrygold butter from Ireland for $17.99 now.

Baking with Kerrygold is the best, talk about a flavor explosion.

[G. David Felt]

I finally am home where I reviewed my cell phone and here are the pictures I took at the time to share with my wife on the crazy prices of butter.

[ccap41]

15 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

Made a mistake as I looked at the box at Costco, it is 2lbs for the Kerrygold butter from Ireland for $17.99 now.

That price increase is WAAAAY higher than the 15% tariff that's on that item from New Zealand. 

[ccap41]

17 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Maple Maga

This term is freakin hilarious to me. I love it. 🤣🤣

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

That price increase is WAAAAY higher than the 15% tariff that's on that item from New Zealand. 

Agree with 15% on items from Ireland, it is crazy the price gouging that is going on. Retail grocery stores are even worse I see for items like Kerrygold butter.

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, G. David Felt said:

Agree with 15% on items from Ireland, it is crazy the price gouging that is going on. Retail grocery stores are even worse I see for items like Kerrygold butter.

Yep. We're already not in a great place because of the tariffs, but companies are absolutely taking advantage of that and charging so much more than the tariff itself and then claiming it's raised because of tariffs. It's as if they don't think people understand how to do math. 

Then again, in all fairness, most people don't know how to do simple math. So, there is that.

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

Yep. We're already not in a great place because of the tariffs, but companies are absolutely taking advantage of that and charging so much more than the tariff itself and then claiming it's raised because of tariffs. It's as if they don't think people understand how to do math. 

Then again, in all fairness, most people don't know how to do simple math. So, there is that.

AGREE!!!

Dating myself, but back in the late 70's/early 80's I worked at the cinema and was the snack bar shift lead.

One of the basic tests to get a position and make more money was those that worked the snack bar had to be able to do basic math in their head. I would daily have to test them by placing random order of products and they had to add it up in their head and then based on the cash received give back proper change but a requirement here in Washington state was to count it back so as a simple example. You order up $13.50 in food, give them a $20 dollar bill and they would have to count it back as food, $13.50, two quarters make it $14, a one makes it $15 and a five makes it $20 so they know they got the correct change.

Today, go to any store and most struggle to look at the screen and figure out the proper change to give back and then they just hand you a pile of coin and paper without counting it back to ensure it is proper. 

Basic math in America is terrible.

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

Yep. We're already not in a great place because of the tariffs, but companies are absolutely taking advantage of that and charging so much more than the tariff itself and then claiming it's raised because of tariffs. It's as if they don't think people understand how to do math. 

Then again, in all fairness, most people don't know how to do simple math. So, there is that.

Its simple capitalism.   More precisely to say though...its GREED. And because this is happening in the US in 2025, and to be fair it is reciprocated here in Canada, and this phenomenon has been in effect since the 1980s, its CORPORATE GREED since both of our countries have made ourselves servants and lackeys  to these corporations. We abide by everything they tell us through their shytty adverts. We have stopped patronizing mom and pop shops etc...

 

And when Trump was tooting tariffs as his election campaign, the democrats warned of such dangers about corporate greed...about how tariffs work (the citizen pays the tariff and not the country as its a fancy word for tax and how corporations will augment the un-tariffed product to be closer in sales price as the tariffed product... 

But, Harris and her party were all doom sayers.   And she has a weird laugh on top of that. 

And the talk went on to be about how they are eating the dogs and they are eating the cats...

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

Then again, in all fairness, most people don't know how to do simple math. So, there is that.

 

27 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

Basic math in America is terrible.

 

Basic education is terrible in the US.  And its by design as a certain political party in the US (and Canada to be fair but the tactic is less successful as Canadians are more community oriented)  defunds education every time they go into power.

Its also by design that in today's world, the two most northern countries in North America choose to glorify ignorance and vilify knowledge and education. To a lesser extent up here in Canada for whatever reason.  Canadians in general continue to value enlightenment.  

 

Critical thinking skills be shrinking in the US of A.   Liittle catchy slogans is what grabs attention though. 

They are eating the dogs and eating the cats. 

We did have something similar in Canada though.  Trudeau has nice hair was our cat/dog moment 10 or so years ago.  But Trudeau won.  And if it wasnt for Doge, Musk, tariffs, Epstein, 51st state rethoric, 36 counts of felonies, we too, be having our Maple Maga movement.  But...education is a priority up here in Canada still...

 

 

 

Edited Friday at 07:58 PM by oldshurst442

[Drew Dowdell]

Just a few months ago I was getting Kerry Gold on sale for $10.99

Your grammar lesson for today.

[A Horse With No Name]

On 8/7/2025 at 4:28 PM, oldshurst442 said:

Maple Maga has very quickly quieted down.  Oh...there is an extreme right movement here too.  The diehards are just as die hard as your morons.  But not as abundant.  Our morons are slightly more educated than yours so the ones that actually do think, saw and thought about what is what and learned the consequences of being willfully ignorant and stupid through the actions of Trump, through the inactions of decent Americans, and learned very quickly that the extreme right movement is just not good.  Like I said though, the maple maga movement does exist. And they are just as a lost cause as your maga movement.  Problem is though that your maga movement is holding the world hostage. It be OK if it were only their own demise, but they are bringing the whole planet down. At least in the short term.  In the long term, the US will be all alone when all of this is over. Whenever that will be.  Even its life long partner in Canada has mostly said to move on from the US.  Not a good thing for America.  

 

 

All I want is an Airbus or an Embraer wheels up headed for somewhere calm and sane. I am studying Spanish. 

58 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Just a few months ago I was getting Kerry Gold on sale for $10.99

Your grammar lesson for today.

Explains how I am feeling. 

[A Horse With No Name]

On 8/8/2025 at 3:50 PM, oldshurst442 said:

Its simple capitalism.   More precisely to say though...its GREED. And because this is happening in the US in 2025, and to be fair it is reciprocated here in Canada, and this phenomenon has been in effect since the 1980s, its CORPORATE GREED since both of our countries have made ourselves servants and lackeys  to these corporations. We abide by everything they tell us through their shytty adverts. We have stopped patronizing mom and pop shops etc...

 

And when Trump was tooting tariffs as his election campaign, the democrats warned of such dangers about corporate greed...about how tariffs work (the citizen pays the tariff and not the country as its a fancy word for tax and how corporations will augment the un-tariffed product to be closer in sales price as the tariffed product... 

But, Harris and her party were all doom sayers.   And she has a weird laugh on top of that. 

And the talk went on to be about how they are eating the dogs and they are eating the cats...

 

 

Basic education is terrible in the US.  And its by design as a certain political party in the US (and Canada to be fair but the tactic is less successful as Canadians are more community oriented)  defunds education every time they go into power.

Its also by design that in today's world, the two most northern countries in North America choose to glorify ignorance and vilify knowledge and education. To a lesser extent up here in Canada for whatever reason.  Canadians in general continue to value enlightenment.  

 

Critical thinking skills be shrinking in the US of A.   Liittle catchy slogans is what grabs attention though. 

They are eating the dogs and eating the cats. 

We did have something similar in Canada though.  Trudeau has nice hair was our cat/dog moment 10 or so years ago.  But Trudeau won.  And if it wasnt for Doge, Musk, tariffs, Epstein, 51st state rethoric, 36 counts of felonies, we too, be having our Maple Maga movement.  But...education is a priority up here in Canada still...

 

 

 

Given the direction of our economy, cats and dogs will literally be on the table in a few months. I ate breakfast Sunday at a restaurant that's usually packed with a wait list, three other folks ate in the whole place with me. 2008 esque $h! storm coming. 

On 8/8/2025 at 2:08 PM, ccap41 said:

Yep. We're already not in a great place because of the tariffs, but companies are absolutely taking advantage of that and charging so much more than the tariff itself and then claiming it's raised because of tariffs. It's as if they don't think people understand how to do math. 

Then again, in all fairness, most people don't know how to do simple math. So, there is that.

The Salad at the little family owned restaurant I sometimes get lunch at ahs gone from $8.99 to $15.00 in three years. The inflation we are going to face is pretty epic. And we can't stop deficit spending. The world will move away from the dollar, and then the whole house of cards collapses. I hope to live in South America and watch from a distance as the whole thing burns to the ground. The decline of empire is inevitable. 

[A Horse With No Name]

One of my best friends passed away, he was only 58. Flying to San Francisco the weekend of the 23rd for a celebration of life. 

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Given the direction of our economy, cats and dogs will literally be on the table in a few months. I ate breakfast Sunday at a restaurant that's usually packed with a wait list, three other folks ate in the whole place with me. 2008 esque $h! storm coming. 

The Salad at the little family owned restaurant I sometimes get lunch at ahs gone from $8.99 to $15.00 in three years. The inflation we are going to face is pretty epic. And we can't stop deficit spending. The world will move away from the dollar, and then the whole house of cards collapses. I hope to live in South America and watch from a distance as the whole thing burns to the ground. The decline of empire is inevitable. 

This hit the news here, 154 stores closing, 10,000 being laid off and the poor are wondering where they will buy their groceries as Walmart is not wanting to wait till things get better, they have decided that since the Poor has cut back spending fast due to prices, these stores are not profitable for them any more.

Walmart to close 269 stores, 154 in U.S.; 10,000 employees impacted | FOX 13 Seattle

This is only going to get worse.

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

One of my best friends passed away, he was only 58. Flying to San Francisco the weekend of the 23rd for a celebration of life. 

Sorry to hear that, so young. Wishing you all the best as you celebrate his life.

[Drew Dowdell]

16 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

This hit the news here, 154 stores closing, 10,000 being laid off and the poor are wondering where they will buy their groceries as Walmart is not wanting to wait till things get better, they have decided that since the Poor has cut back spending fast due to prices, these stores are not profitable for them any more.

Walmart to close 269 stores, 154 in U.S.; 10,000 employees impacted | FOX 13 Seattle

This is only going to get worse.

Maybe check the date on that article.

[G. David Felt]

5 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Maybe check the date on that article.

WOW, Did I get suckered into that one as it came up on my news feed.

My multi-tasking during a boring meeting was a failure on my behalf. Yup, 2016, very old news.

Thank you Drew for catching that. My bad!

[oldshurst442]

Maybe that Walmart article was a decade ago, but the Kentucky bourbon industry is hurting right now.

https://www.newsweek.com/kentucky-whiskey-distilleries-bankruptcy-2108644

https://nypost.com/2025/08/05/business/kentuckys-9b-whiskey-industry-in-crisis-as-gen-z-drinkers-shun-bourbon-tariffs-take-toll/

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/9-billion-kentucky-whiskey-industry-trouble-wave-bankruptcies-tiktok-tariffs-blame-1740199

 

The tariffs are a reason.  Some want to blame Gen Z because they dont drink whiskey...   I say byullshyte to the Gen Z excuse.  I say its the retaliation of the world to shun American products.  The CEO of Jack Daniels laughed when Ontario Premier Doug Ford withdrew ALL American alcohol from Ontario liquor stores and Quebec followed suit with the rest of Canada with the exception of Maple Maga Alberta. (But Im willing to bet MOST Albertans boycotted American booze anyway...) Plus the world did the same thing.   Who gives a shyte about Jack Daniels and Jim Beam when Scotland, Ireland and Canada make whiskey, bourbon and rye that is equal to are even better than American whiskey. 

Then the CEO of Jack Daniels realized that taking away the products from the shelves is actually more damaging to sales than mere tariffs.  But he dont understand that Canadians will NOT BUY American booze anyhow regardless.  Stars and Stripes Maga down south are so stupid they do not realize that the world does not need to US anymore.  The Kentucky bourbon industry is just the start.  The American automobile industry is up next. THAT one will be the real eye opener.  But it will be too late Im afraid.  But then again,  Donald J. Trump's latest is to try to create hysteria with city take-overs.  Either that will make you guys have a civil war or you will not fight but you guys give up your freedoms slowly slowly with yet another attempt at fascism. 

Oh yeah...also to forget about the Epstein connection...

 

 

Have a Crown Royal cheers from me.  

Edited 14 minutes ago by oldshurst442