Screwball

I hate using Tweets as data, but that built on my thesis. There are parts of our jobs data (certain industries) that are robust, and hiring, while others are not. First, you must sift through the reports (only the "headline" numbers are reported, but not necessarily a good indicator in the bigger picture, so you have to dig). The data tells tales. I don't want to get into a giant pissing match (not thinking you do either) but the automation angle is real. I've sat in the meetings figuring out how to eliminate jobs. Everything in large corporate America is all about the bottom line. Period. I think you work for a large company, so you probably already know that.

That makes sense. Yea, the young people don't use cash.

Well, it really doesn't matter anyway - nothing changes. I remember back in 1980 working for a large crane manufacturer. We sold stuff to the military. I remember $11 o-rings that I could buy at the local hardware store (we did) for less than a dime. So it's been a scam for at least 50 years.

Excellent - thank you. Makes sense on the volume thing, so I learned something new as well. 80-85% on cards. I would actually expect that to be higher. Which is why I think my buddy is nuts, but he's still open.

While I'm here; Exclusive: The Pentagon’s Massive Accounting Fraud Exposed - How US military spending keeps rising even as the Pentagon flunks its audit. FTA: Color me not at all shocked.

We have the best government money can buy. And our taxes even pay the useless pukes.

I have been told that, depending on the card (Mastercard vs. Capital One for example) they charge different fees. Is that true (since I don't work in the retail space)? Also, I have heard that Capital One charges the highest fees, is that true? A local gas station has a sign telling the minimum amount you could put on a card. I think it is 5 bucks. People were using cards to buy a .75 cent coffee. I imagine they were losing money on the transaction, but I don't know what the fees are. I don't blame them. I have been in places that have a "cash" price and a "credit" price. I think that would be a good idea. I have a buddy who owns a restaurant, and he won't accept any cards. I think that is a really stupid idea. Seems like you are really limiting your potential clientele. But, it's his place so he can do what he wants.

Congress Is Trying To Pass a Bill That Will End Credit Card Rewards Programs - Yahoo Finance

How Did Covid Impact the Minimum Wage Someone Would Accept for a Job? Payrolls vs Employment Since March 2022 Nonfarm Payrolls: +2,692,000 Employment Level: +12,000 Full Time Employment: -398,000 Employment fell by 138,000 in November. Full time employment is down 398,000 since March and down by 480,000 since May! For the latest jobs report, please see Another Strong Jobs Report? Phooey, and I Can Prove It Please note The Philadelphia Fed Just Revised Jobs Lower by 1.2 Million for Q2

I don't disagree, but why? People at our retailers are only a sign of what's going on in the bigger picture. I've watched the same exact thing in my industry for a long time as well. We can't find qualified people to do many of the jobs that need to be done. Which might be why there is so many jobs available - doesn't matter what they are - a barista or an engineer. It's easier to do it myself than babysit some fraud who can't do anything but play on their phone - and have no clue what to do anyway. So I chose not to hire anyone and work another 3 hours a day - because bottom line. That's how it works. If i don't, I don't have a job. It must be done, by someone. Add in our technology, and the obvious thing to do is replace labor. The easiest and quickest way to cure the bottom line - because we must beat the next earnings report for Wall Street. We are nothing but commodities, and if you don't believe that, you are a clueless tool.

Today's Jobless claims from the BLS Discussions about automation? It's part of our life, and growing. It is deflationary, but also cost jobs - which is the intent. I've been a part of it as I spent 35 years in engineering/product design/manufacturing. It' not going away anytime soon. Ever heard of a robot? Maybe you should get out more.

Good question. About a 2% annual average? To quote you. Chart porn: 2% is the narrative we are given by the Fed's mandate, which of course is been proven to be nothing but bullshit since 1913. But I digress... How's that chart look? That's the last 40 years. Looks to me like we are getting our ass kicked. Funny too, in all this talk, I didn't see anything about "automation." Automation doesn't call in sick, smoke cigarettes while on break, care about how many days they get off, or not have a way to get to work. Automation (in broad terms) just spits out parts so the system continues to feed the consumerism they have nurtured to make the rich richer, and the poor poorer. Three screws on an assembly line can save 3 jobs over 3 shifts - so 3 people lose a job. Cha-ching! We are being replaced as a workforce with robots, and of course slave labor all around the world. Ain't we fucking special?

I'm old so I admit I'm partial; Janis kicked ass.

I didn't realize he wrote so many good songs. Not only his, but for others too. He did one for Stevie Nicks who I had a crush on. Also part of the Traveling Wilburys. I can't remember the name, but I watched a music documentary and he was on there. What a hoot. Seemed like a happy guy, or toasted.

A week old, but relevant; This DC party invite shows all the money to be made off the Ukraine war - Vox I think the logos along the bottom are a really classy touch

RE: Tom Petty I'm old so I've known of him since forever, but I never appreciated what he gave us until after he died. Shame on me. Someone mentioned the song Great Wide Open. I never heard that until after he died - hooked the first time. But I wonder... What is the message in that song. Rebel without a clue. The kids name was Eddie Rebel I think. Don't be stupid, or just a name?

This caught my attention. Disclosure; I don't closely follow the tech sector, but I know they have had the shit kicked out of them - FANGS (or whatever the current acronym) and all. So I did a little looking because I have one last beer to drink and and need something to do. AAPL is in the Tech sector, and the consumer electronic industry. Using your year timeframe above, let's take a look. Sector; Industry; Another angle from Mish; What Company Will Be the Second to Lose $1 Trillion in Market Cap? Some chart porn in that one. If you go to Finviz and filter AAPL you can see the insider activity, upgrades, downgrades, and all the usual good stuff. Great site. Looking at AAPL's charts, it looks pretty simple to me. The chart below goes back 3 years. The support looks pretty obvious at this point. Watch the $128.79 level. The first potential confirmation was in June of this year ($129.04). Closed today at $131.86, with a low of $129.64. So if one is interested in buying, now might be the time to do so. Or, around this time... ON EDIT; How could I forget... You could also see what Jim Cramer says and do the the opposite.

From 7-February-2014; US regime-change operation in Ukraine exposed in leaked diplomatic phone call Kagan is also one of the founders of PNAC (Project for a New American Century), along with Bill Kristol. Signatories include John Bolton, Dick Cheney, Elliot Abrams, Jeb Bush, Scooter Libby, Don Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz. Their statement of principles is a good read into the vision held by these war-mongering criminals. While the think-tank itself may be dissolved, these people and the ideology is not. It is alive and well today. This was suppose to be Hillary's war but that damn Trump got in the way and won the election, so they had to wait 4 years. No wonder they are so pissy.

And there is more... From Bloomberg again; It Takes a Lot to Keep Inflation Data Secret, Including NDAs Interesting article on how the release process works, but in the end - nothing to see here. I still call BS, and this shouldn't be a difficult thing to track/trace - if they wanted to. But as usual, they don't. Corrupt to the core.

Chief? What's that suppose to mean? A little pissy are we? How about sticking Chief where the sun don't shine. You should do a few things; 1) read some history about Ukraine and our "influence" in that country over the years (start around 2014ish). 2) get your combine started for more straw bailing. 3) check yourself into a propaganda detox center. 4) get over your righteous self. Now you can get back to tongue bathing the little creep Zelenskyy - you know the CIA/State Dept. puppet helping funnel money to the killing for profit machine and the whores in DC. Hell, you could even put a blue and yellow sign in your yard too. Yea, that would be great! Merry Christmas, and don't forget to send a few grand to the Ukrainians via Raytheon. The people of Virginia will love you for it. Meanwhile, I'll go long RTX.

What’s In (and Not In) the $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill - from the Times FTA: Bold mine. More money for bombs and killing people. But I don't care about "Poland or Romania or Moldova or Ukraine." Guess not - I'm just against funding things to blow them up with. Nobody in the world wants this war other than the greed machine that controls DC. Where the money comes from - from the very same people who care nothing about killing people for money - because they get rich. It's what they do, and have done, for as long as I've been alive. So, save me your moral bullshit.

Do you think they are going to invade us next?

Maybe Yemen would be better (probably gets bombed more - cha-ching). Seems more punitive best I can tell. Us anti-war people should feel the pain too. The more, the better. Damn you if you don't like bombs. Last I looked, no country that I know of invaded the continental United States. Also can't find a good reason why any of them would want to anyway. We have a global economy that is very dependent on supply chains - and if they break down - things get ugly very quickly. The global supply chain knows that. But keep fucking with the "forces of nature" as Ned Beatty said in the above money speech from "Network (1976)." I remember when the democrats were the anti-war party. We are spending billions on this proxy war (to make the rich richer) while more Americans find themselves living on the streets. WTF? Merry Christmas! ON EDIT: Yes, I think we are that far gone.

"collective security" is just a buzzword for tools who defend the global killing for profit machine that only benefits the select few

Really? Live under Russia rule? Just admit it? LOL! Is this country really this far gone?