http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dotcomrade&defid=2615424
An [Internet] acquaintance; someone you chat with but have never actually met.
“So who’s this NrdPowr32 guy?”
“I dunno. Just a dotcomrade of mine.”
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FUN: dotcomeraden!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007MONEY: Economic September
Tuesday, October 23, 2007http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/10/from_the_survivalblog_archives.html
Headline: Dumping of US Dollar Could Trigger ‘Economic September 11’
***Begin Quote***
There is a potentially fatal flaw at the heart of the global economy: the strong possibility of financial meltdown following a collapse of confidence in the greenback, Clyde Prestowitz tells Bruce Stannard
29 August 2005
THE nightmare scenario that haunts global strategist Clyde Prestowitz is an economic September 11 — a worldwide financial panic triggered by a sudden massive sell-off of US dollars that would lead inexorably to the collapse of economies around the world. If that happens, Prestowitz predicts: “It would make the Great Depression of the 1930s look like a walk in the park.” Australia would be sucked into the vortex of such a recession, which would cause great hardship throughout the world, he warns. Prestowitz is not a doomsayer, neither is he alone in his views. As president of the Economic Strategy Institute, a Washington think tank, he is in regular contact with the most influential US business leaders, several of whom — Warren Buffet and George Soros included — have taken steps to hedge their currency positions against the possibility of a cataclysmic plunge in the greenback. “Right now,” he says, “we have a situation in which the US is running huge trade deficits — about $US650 billion ($766 billion) in 2004 — which are financed by borrowings from the central banks of Asia — mainly the Chinese and the Japanese. All the world’s central banks are chock-full of US dollars — they’re holding many more dollars than they really want. They’re holding those dollars because at the moment there’s no great alternative and also because the global economy depends on US consumption. If they dump the dollar and the dollar collapses, then the whole global economy is in trouble.
***End Quote***
Sigh!
TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) is postulated by a hyper inflation in Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles — the editor of SurvivalBlog.com.
So clearly his blog is sensitive to this issue.
But that doesn’t make it “impossible”.
When money is no longer a “store of value”, what does one do?
Beats me, but I’m open to suggestions.
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MONEY | 
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Posted by reinkefj
JOBSEARCH: Prepare for when the relationship goes sour
Tuesday, October 23, 2007Attention all turkeys:
When you start your new job, “prepare three envelopes”.
That’s an old joke.
http://www.notboring.com/jokes/work/3.htm
*** begin quote ***
Prepare Three Envelopes
A fellow had just been hired as the new CEO of a large high tech corporation. The CEO who was stepping down met with him privately and presented him with three numbered envelopes. “Open these if you run up against a problem you don’t think you can solve,” he said.
Well, things went along pretty smoothly, but six months later, sales took a downturn and he was really catching a lot of heat. About at his wit’s end, he remembered the envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out the first envelope. The message read, “Blame your predecessor.”
The new CEO called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the previous CEO. Satisfied with his comments, the press — and Wall Street — responded positively, sales began to pick up and the problem was soon behind him.
About a year later, the company was again experiencing a slight dip in sales, combined with serious product problems. Having learned from his previous experience, the CEO quickly opened the second envelope. The message read, “Reorganize.” This he did, and the company quickly rebounded.
After several consecutive profitable quarters, the company once again fell on difficult times. The CEO went to his office, closed the door and opened the third envelope.
The message said, “Prepare three envelopes.”
*** end quote ***
There are a lot of true things said in jest.
This is one of them.
Eventually, things will turn nasty.
I don’t care that today the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all is right in the Universe. You may be looking forward to cashing your first paycheck. Time to look a little more forward.
There will be a day, in the all to soon future, where you will be –proverbially — opening the “third envelope”.
Now assuming that you don’t have an employment contract — not many of us do — you’ll be facing the unpleasantness of the potential axe.
So, today, right now, when all is good, please please plan your demise.
Create a folder at home called “DOOMSDAY”. Into that you should be putting “important” documents related to your employment. By “important”, I mean as it relates to your continued employment. So immediately, your offer letter should be in there. As well as anything that is ever given you by HR, Payroll, Finance, Personnel, whatever as it applies to your continued employment. In addition, you should document every significant conversation you ever have with anyone higher than you, lower than you, or in a support organization that has anything to do with your continued employment. Keep your own set of book. Fill out a personal time sheet. Have comp time, keep a record. Keep a score card of what you do. Don’t share it with anyone, store it on their computers, send it over their wire, or even keep it in the office.
Trust me. Some day, you’ll be glad you did.
You’re not doing this to pick a fight or focus on the bad stuff that can happen. (And will happen, if you focus on the negative.) This is to be ready for “war” should a fight break out.
It might get you some leverage in the severance process.
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Posted by reinkefj
RANT:The “auto” tax
Monday, October 22, 2007http://burnedbygovt.com.nyud.net:8080/blog/2007/oct/have_you_ever_noticed…%3F
Burned By Government
Have you ever noticed…?
Wed, 10/17/2007 – 20:42
*** begin quote ***
So, after spending all this money, so that you can go to work to make the money to buy and maintain the vehicle (and pay those other incidentals like rent and food), what do you have to do? Why,you’ve got to PAY THE GOVERNMENT! You’ve got to get all your “papers in order”just like all the good little citizens in all the movies about Nazi Germany, and the old Soviet Union, and Orwell’s 1984.
And this costs money, and more than that, it costs TIME. And, damned inconveniently, that’s not just time, but due to the scheduling of all the various government offices you have to go to to get these papers in order, they are usually only open during the time you are scheduled to be at work–so you’ve got to take off from work, which costs you more money. Add to this that the various offices usually give you the run-around, making you “hurry up and wait” and then sending you to a different office to get some other paper that you must have FIRST, but which, upon arriving, you find you cannot get without first completing a different form at yet another government office…and so on. It cost you even more time and money.
*** end quote ***
It’s the tax that keeps on taking — time, money, and attention.
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Posted by reinkefj
JOBSEARCH: University of Hard Knocks Alumni Membership Drive is Underway!!!!
Monday, October 22, 2007University of Hard Knocks Alumni Membership Drive is Underway!!!!
by G. Lane Cavalier
***Begin Quote***
When I was out of work several years ago, I received a good piece of advice from a fellow networker that I have never followed up on. That advice was to start an “Alumni Group” for those professionals that never finished their degree.
***and***
The group is going to be based around 3 core issues that impact professionals without degrees:
1) Continuing Education/Non Traditional Education
2) Job Searching and Interviewing (overcoming the lack of the degree)
3) Networking
***End Quote***
Of course, I indicated I would be happy to participate.
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Posted by reinkefj
LIBERTY: separate the gooferment from education
Monday, October 22, 2007Big Brother at school
By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist | October 17, 2007
***Begin Quote***
Thus in a little over 100 years, the Democratic Party – and much of the Republican Party – has been transformed from a champion of “parental rights and rights of conscience in the education of children” to a party whose leaders believe that parents “don’t get to impose” their views and values on what their kids are taught in school. Do American parents see anything wrong with that? Apparently not: The majority of them dutifully enroll their children in government-operated schools, where the only views and values permitted are the ones prescribed by the state.
***End Quote***
Have to separate the gooferment from education. It’s a freedom of religion issue.
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Posted by reinkefj
MONEY: More people go on welfare!
Monday, October 22, 2007***Begin Quote***
Bloomberg: First baby boomer asks for Social Security benefits
“The first Baby Boomer applied today for Social Security benefits, a milestone marking the approaching retirement of a generation of Americans whose eligibility for government payouts threatens to overwhelm the federal budget. ‘This is the first drop of rain in the flood,’ said Bob Bixby, head of the Concord Coalition, a Washington-based advocacy group that promotes balanced federal budgets. ‘It’s the beginning of an era. It’s symbolic but it reminds us that we’re not doing anything to prepare for this.’
“The demands on retirement programs by the estimated 80 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 combined with spiraling health-care costs will eventually overwhelm the federal budget unless lawmakers change government policies, Bixby said.’
Source: Brian Faler, Bloomberg.com, October 15, 2007.
***End Quote***
Here comes the tidal wave of more people on the dole!
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Posted by reinkefj
GUNS: “empty holster” demonstration
Sunday, October 21, 2007http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MmZiZDdhNjJlZTk2YjY4N2IzYTUxZWNjZDZhZjUxMTY=&w=MQ==
There’s A Reason They Choose Schools
A familiar story.
By Timothy Wheeler
***Begin Quote***
It is encouraging that college students themselves have a much better grasp on reality than their politically correct elders. During the week of October 22-26 Students For Concealed Carry On Campus will stage a nationwide “empty holster” demonstration (peaceful, of course) in support of their cause.
***End Quote***
Hopefully lot’s of people will get the word that they have a Second Amendment RIGHT to defend themselves. No permission needed!
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Posted by reinkefj
INDEXCARDNOVEL: A sad letter from a distant friend
Sunday, October 21, 2007July 1, 2022
The postman arrived with his weekly delivery, the censor allowed it thru, and we received you letter. It bore the Forty Two dollar embossing on the tissue paper page and we appreciated the sacrifice you made to send it. The youngsters all marveled over it. We don’t get many letters; yours is the first this year. I had to handle it carefully; it was as thin as an angel’s wing or how we have the deli slice baloney these days. When we can afford it. I know I’m getting old when I remember back to fried baloney sandwiches where the baloney was an inch thick. Anyway, my mind wanders; back to the letter.
Oh how I miss my friends; the family finds it hard to believe that we used to take car trips just for fun to visit each other. That is understandable for they have only known rationed gas which varies always cycling higher from the 2200 $/gallon “government approved” price. When you can get it. Price controls always cause shortages. Most people just went along with the changes. But back to answering your letter.
We all gathered in the living room — me, my wife, the boy, his wife, their four children, the girl, her husband, their three children, and our “assigned guest”. In case you don’t have that stuff up there, our governor created a program where one homeless person was assigned to each house. Our guest is a nice man from Detroit, who used to build cars. We had no choice. If you didn’t take the assignment, they trippled your taxes. At that point, most people would lose their house and become homeless themselves and assigned. So they’d take your house, you’d be able to take only one bag, trucked to an assignment center, “assigned” a minimum of two counties away, and probably never see your family again. There was a lot of uproar about that. Most people just went along with the changes. But, back to answering your letter.
We were just interrupted. The Homeland Police & Drug Enforcement just conducted a house to house search. We all had to go stand outside with the rest of the neighborhood for an hour while they checked our identity cards and went through the house with the drug sniffing and people sniffing dogs. The penalties for non-compliance are severe. You lose your house and can even go to jail. Do you have that up there? Most people just went along with the changes. But, back to answering your letter.
We were sad to hear of your troubles. It’s a shame when youngsters die in far away wars. Your boy was a brave fellow. But then some of the choices we make are not really choices. When they brought back the draft, we knew there would be some breakage. Most people just went along with the changes. But, back to answering your letter.
Well, I am out of space on this page. Heaven knows we can afford to let go to a second page. It’s really a shame that there’s no work, little food, and no Lemons, Ice, Bacon, Englishmuffins, Rasberries, Tuna, Yoohoo, or other stuff. We’ll just have to go along with the changes and sing a little “barbara streisand”.
Regards to all,
You long time friend
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Posted by reinkefj
NEWJERSEY: Escapees?
Sunday, October 21, 2007http://www.nj1015.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=8264&z=3
Poll Finds Many Hoping to Leave Jersey Behind
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 – Associated Press
*** begin quote ***
While one recent study found more than 231,000 people have left New Jersey since 2002, a poll released Wednesday found many more would like to follow.
The Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll found 49 percent of New Jersey adults would like to move out of the state, compared to 44 percent who would prefer to stay and 7 percent who are unsure.
*** end quote ***
Folks escaping the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee? What a surprise. One party rule. Socialist in charge of all the governing bodies. All the negatives of Kalifoneyea without the weather. Free state Project (http://www.freestateproject.org) has my heart. Parents don’t let your children grow up to be NuJerzeeans!
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Posted by reinkefj
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