INSPIRATIONAL: saving time

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/seneca/moral-letters-to-lucilius/richard-m-gummere/text/single-page#letter-1

Letter I

On Saving Time

Greetings from Seneca to his friend Lucilius.

Continue to act thus, my dear Lucilius⁠—set yourself free for your own sake; gather and save your time, which till lately has been forced from you, or filched away, or has merely slipped from your hands. Make yourself believe the truth of my words⁠—that certain moments are torn from us, that some are gently removed, and that others glide beyond our reach. The most disgraceful kind of loss, however, is that due to carelessness. Furthermore, if you will pay close heed to the problem, you will find that the largest portion of our life passes while we are doing ill, a goodly share while we are doing nothing, and the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose. What man can you show me who places any value on his time, who reckons the worth of each day, who understands that he is dying daily? For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years lie behind us are in death’s hands

# – # – # – # – #

I wish I had read this decades ago. Of all the stuff I was forced to read in high school Latin, I really didn’t care how many parts Gaul was divided into. But, maybe, just maybe, this advice might have changed my life. Maybe not, but it certainly might have been an easier read.

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Spirit Halloween shopper recounts heart-stopping escape from California store as 1 killed, 6 hurt in shooting

Monday, November 2, 2026

A survivor of the deadly shooting at a Spirit Halloween in California described her heart-stopping escape from the store as gunfire erupted, leaving one person dead and six others injured.
— Read on nypost.com/2026/10/31/us-news/spirit-halloween-shopper-recounts-heart-stopping-escape-from-california-store-as-1-killed-6-hurt-in-shooting/

in California, for the most part, only criminals have guns.

“We, The Sheeple” are left like helpless lambs for slaughter at the whim of every criminal, gang banger, crazy teenager on SSRIs, or lunatic.

The Dead Old White Guys must be turning over at this turn of events.

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POLITICAL: By the way, all acts of Congress should be passed by ⅔ majority in recorded votes!

Sunday, November 1, 2026

The older I get the more I don’t like “democracy”.  I think the Dead Old White Guys vision of a country led by the upper echelon of society that got there by hard work and their contribution to the Commonweal was a better idea.  Although there is something to be said for a “king” by birth who “owns” everything like a shepherd with his flock.

We’ve seen what happens when we have an “Elected King” — nothing good. 

Maybe we need to try only allowing successful ex State Governors to be President? And same for the Senate and House.  That would at least eliminate grifter and celebrities. And, maybe only those born here who are literate and landowners should be allowed to vote. Also maybe their should be a THIRD house of Congress elected by TAXPAYERS!

By the way, all acts of Congress should be passed by ⅔ majority in recorded votes!

That should slow these rogues down.

Argh!

— 30 —

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MONEY: The U$D (“dollar”) has lost 99% of its purchasing power in the “modern era” of deficit spending!

Saturday, October 31, 2026

https://nypost.com/2026/10/07/us-news/congress-eyes-push-to-stop-minting-nickels/

Congress eyes another major US currency change after killing the penny
By Natalie O’Neill
Published Oct. 7, 2026
Updated Oct. 7, 2026, 11:26 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Now, some lawmakers want to focus on making the high-cost nickel for cheaper, according to Fox News.

“If it costs 13 cents to make a five-cent coin, Washington should fix the problem instead of wasting more taxpayer money,” House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain told the outlet.

“My bill gives Treasury a path to make nickels at a lower cost without disrupting how Americans use them. It is a simple reform that saves money and brings a little more common sense to government.”

Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis also told the outlet: “More and more Americans are paying with credit cards, debit cards and stablecoins for everyday purchases that once would have been made with cash or coins.

*** end quote ***

Anyone care to examine WHY the pennies and nickels are being eliminated?

Yeah, like saving the Taxpayers’ money was, is, never on the mind of any of the politicians and bureaucrats!!!

Anyone remember “penny candy”? Why is there no more “penny candy”, “nickel cigars”, “dime comic books”, or “quarter a gallon gas”? Or that we had a half-cent coin?  (Coin collectors probably do!)

Perhaps it might have to do with the U$D (“dollar”) has lost 99% of its purchasing power in the “modern era” of deficit spending!

No it’s all about pulling the wool over the rubes’ eyes.

I think it was downright <synonym for the act of procreation in real time> hilarious that Senator Lummis had the audacity to mention “STABLE coins”.  What is stable about digital representation of a “dollar” when its purchasing power is depreciating by double digit percentages every year?  At least ₿bitcoin has only a fixed number that can ever be “printed”. Argh!

“Inflation allows them to borrow in dollars and repay in dimes.” — Nick Giambruno

“Inflation is theft, you’re stealing value from people who save money.”-Ron Paul

“Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon” — Milton Friedman

So, of course, “Don’t look at the man behind the curtain!” commands the Great And Powerful Oz —  from the 1939 Judy Garland hit!

— 30 —
 

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SECURITY: The best way to secure a database is not to have one in the first place

Friday, October 30, 2026

https://reason.com/2026/10/30/breach-of-denmarks-national-id-system-demonstrates-the-risks-of-a-papers-please-society/

Cybersecurity
Breach of Denmark’s National ID System Demonstrates the Risks of a ‘Papers, Please’ Society
Centralized databases and national ID systems make tempting targets.
J.D. Tuccille | 10.30.2026 7:00 AM

*** begin quote ***

Hackers ‘Harvest Records on Approximately 8.8 Million People’

“Denmark is reviewing security controls around its national citizen registry after unauthorized parties exploited a company’s access credentials to harvest records on approximately 8.8 million people over a 10-day period,” Shweta Sharma of CSO, an enterprise-level security publication, reported earlier this month. “The breach covers people living in Denmark as well as individuals who have died or moved abroad, while people with protected names and addresses were not affected.”

*** end quote ***

Why are we surprised when we hear about such disclosures? Actually, we probably should be surprised that we hear about it at all management of the news is no big surprise and anything that conflicts with Big Brothers desires is to be hidden by the elite.

Remember that Social Security Insurance, that’s a humorous euphemism, was not supposed to be used for identification. Guess what’s used for identification for everything now?

The Mafia does a better job of securing its data. No hacker in the right mind seek to hack that.  Unlike the Mafia’s competitor, the US Federal Gooferment, who if they can find the ne’er-do-well, gives them a slap on the wrist; the Mafia would put the down six feet and leave a hand stick out as a reminder.  (An old traditional method the mob used for dealers cheating.  Not that they care about the rube’s losses; the dealer was stealing what would eventually be their winnings. The same reason that crime on tourists or panhandling around the casinos was punished vigorously.)

So let’s try and (1) keep all levels of Gooferment from collecting ANY data; and (2) let’s keep any data collection at the lowest level of Gooferment and in the smallest collections possible.

Keep Gooferment small, powerless, and unliked.

— 30 —

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BIGOTRY: Banning Dogs After Muslim Complains

Thursday, October 29, 2026

https://thepostmillennial.com/news/portland-maine-schools-consider-banning-dogs-after-muslim-official-complains-they-re-impure-in

Portland, Maine schools consider banning dogs after Muslim official complains they’re ‘impure’ in Islam

  • Assistant Superintendent Abdullahi Ahmed said “The dog saliva is considered impure.”

By Hannah Nightingale
1d ago << EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-10-28>>

*** begin quote ***

The school committee in Portland, Maine, is considering changing its classroom pet policy after a Muslim official condemned dogs as “impure” in Islam.

A local elementary school’s effort to foster dogs with whom students could play, read, and decompress sparked this so-called controversy, prompting the Somalia-born assistant superintendent of Portland Public Schools to lash out at the four-legged friends. Beyond calling dogs “impure,” he said the animals could “restrict the students’ access to education.”

We are not overly eager to hash out Islamic law’s position on dogs. Instead, we want you to imagine how social liberals would react if a Christian assistant superintendent requested an existing program’s cancellation because it ran contrary to his faith. Would administrators take that concern seriously, as they have this one, or would they accuse him of trying to destroy the separation of church and state? We would bet on the latter. 

*** end quote ***

How social liberals would react if a Christian assistant superintendent requested an existing program’s cancellation because it ran contrary to his faith.

So how would they?

When Catholic parents object to Gooferment Skrules teaching material that is objectionable to their Faith’s dogma, what happens?  Nothing!

It goes back to the argument that Gooferment Skrules should NOT exist.  They are at their very essence UNCONSTITUTIONAL.  

In the Liberal takeover of Big Academia, they were allowed absorb into the Gooferment the role of “education”.  

This is anti-Christian anti-Catholic bigotry.  Parents pay for Gooferment Skrules in their taxes; and again if they sent their children to private schools; and again in the tax favored treatment of Gooferment Skrules and their activities.

Let’s not sugar coat this nonsense.

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PEACE: WAR—that is, the life, death, and property of millions— I too expect DJT4547 to keep that promise

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

 

https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-wars-the-thing?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1119676&post_id=222480621&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3snn7d&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

The War’s The Thing
I voted for Trump because he promised “no more wars.” Holding a man to his most important promise about matters of life and death is what self-respecting grownups do.
John Leake
1 hour ago << EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-10-28>>

*** begin quote ***

For readers who don’t understand why I have become so critical of President Trump, I will clearly declare it so that you can decide if you wish to continue reading my newsletter posts, which are delivered from “John Leake From Focal Points.”

  • I do not share the tendency to be “okay” with killing people and dropping bombs on women and children and civilian infrastructure.
  • I believe that the perfidy and odiousness of the Democrats do not mitigate the gravity of Trump’s broken promise.
  • I believe that war is the most significant, dangerous, risky, and corrupt thing a US president can do, and that his domestic policies are of secondary importance.

In the matter of war—that is, the life, death, and property of millions—I expected President Trump to keep his promises.

*** end quote ***

I agree that the Communists (Democratic Socialism is a fig leaf to conceal and sugar-coat the real agenda) are terrible.  And, all things being equal I will never, ever, vote for a D under any circumstances.  (I didn’t vote for JFK because, while he had some great points, it was at his heart a socialist liberal.)  I didn’t vote for Nixon because he cut the last link to gold and supported the actions in Viet Nam.  

There is no higher duty for a President, any President, is to protect the homeland and keep the peace.  

Bottom line: that is unforgivable. No matter how bad the other candidate is, he’s worse.

Argh!

— 30 —

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RANT: Please gamble responsibly?

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

https://tuckercarlson.com/morning-note?utm_campaign=october27morningnote&utm_medium=email&utm_source=iterable&utm_content=morningnote

Marshall Worth
October 27, 2026

As a TCN member, you get direct access to our morning news briefing every weekday. Here’s today’s roundup.

Want to catch up on our full Morning Note archive? Browse the complete library here.

*** begin quote ***

Commentary

This Is Mafia Behavior

The next time you see a sports betting commercial, take note of the tiny text at the bottom of the screen. It will read something like this:

“Please gamble responsibly. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.”

Companies like FanDuel and DraftKings do not include those disclaimers out of the goodness of their hearts or because they actually care about preventing Americans from getting addicted to their products. They only do so because U.S. law requires it.

*** and ***

The second man CBS featured is professional bettor Mike Manning. Unlike most sports gamblers, Manning does not place wagers based on intuition. He uses a mathematical approach with analytical models, and the method has proven highly successful. It has earned him his living.

When Massachusetts launched sports gambling in 2023, Manning signed up with every sports gambling app available. He did very well, winning on nearly every platform. Then something unexpected happened. They capped his bets.

“On BetMGM, he started betting $1,000-$5,000 per game, but soon, he said, he was only able to bet $5. On DraftKings, he said he was limited to $25 per bet.”

“It’s that whole ‘ban or bankrupt’ model,” fellow professional bettor Gadoon Kyrollos told CBS.

“You’re exploiting the losing bettor, you’re taking advantage of them, and guys like me get shown the door,” Manning added.

This story’s takeaway is as clear as the sky is blue: the sports betting industry is not your friend. They see Americans as nothing more than ATM machines they can bleed dry, and they have no problem getting people hooked on a wildly gnarly vice to do so. Casino magnates like Randy Fine and Miriam Adelson may see that as appealing, but the rest of us find it gross.

If you are a young man, we hope you will resist the urge to go down the sports betting path. It costs Americans billions of dollars each year, it destroys lives, and the people who run it will have no problem going out of their way to get you hooked. The only solution is to simply never start. You will thank yourself later.

*** end quote ***

The ‘ban or bankrupt’ model” seems like a deceptive trade practice and the FTC should step in and stop it.  It’s unfair to the suckers who fall for this advertising.  

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: “Document not intended for distribution” — gee I wonder why?

Monday, October 26, 2026

https://jonfleetwood.substack.com/p/usda-released-123-million-screwworm?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=520511&post_id=222196003&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=69c47n&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

USDA Released 123 Million Screwworm Flies Into Texas Just Before State’s First Confirmed Infestation
Past sterilization failures released millions of fertile screwworms, as Texas records confirm releases near the first infected ranches.
Jon Fleetwood
3 hours ago << EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-10-26>>

*** begin quote ***

A June 2, 2026, Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) briefing reveals that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released 123,201,290 allegedly sterile New World screwworm flies into Texas before the state’s first confirmed infestation, while additional federal records confirm millions of flies were already being released weekly in the area where the first infected animals were discovered.

The briefing, marked “Document not intended for distribution,” documents mass environmental releases despite no naturally occurring screwworms having been detected in Texas.

Just eight days after the recorded release total, officials confirmed the state’s first infestation in a calf in Zavala County.

Four months later, they announced the parasite’s first confirmed detection in U.S. wildlife, in an elk in Pecos County.

*** end quote ***

Any wonder why “We, The Sheeple” have no confidence in the actions of the US Gooferment?

I keep insisting that the Gooferment, all Gooferments, at any level are immoral, ineffective, and inefficient. As well as untrustworthy.

What genius thought is was good idea to release screwworms that ar not 100% sterilized?

The person should be demoted and sent around giving presentations about how they came to that decision. 

An object lesson!

— 30 —

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ENCOURAGING: Saint Crispin’s day

Sunday, October 25, 2026

https://youtu.be/A-yZNMWFqvM?si=51VgMyGdjtJauFXN

*** begin quote ***

This day is call’d the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,

And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.” Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.” Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he’ll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words- Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.

This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered-

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition;

And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

— 30 —

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