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Dog days of August are upon us.

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Had a nice vacation.
Cut our trip short because of smoke from Canadian wild fires drifting down into Washington State aggravating my COPD. We still had a good time frolicking in the surf and walking the beaches picking up agates.
Saturday night there was a local jazz band playing at the amphitheater and was pretty good. Monday brought some drizzle and cool temps, so we came home.
Looking and sounding like our regime is jonesin" for another round of war with Iran. This cannot go well.
China now supplying AD systems to Iranian military and who knows what else. And the Iranians have upped their demands for a negotiated end to hostilities by including international inspections of Israeli nuclear facilities.
But we all know that will never happen.
So Iran continues to prepare for the coming showdown with the Israeli/US machine that is counting ammo on one hand.
The Yemenis have shut down the Israeli port of Eilat and are causing economic hell for them.
And Russia rumbles on across Ukraine.
It's going to be an interesting summer.
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enhydra lutris's picture

No dry sultry weather here, cool, sometimes dampish, cloudy, much more like fall.

As to all the rest, the empire continues to stagger toward Bethlehem to die whilst the Ukies have thrown down a challenge to meet and deal, meaning that they plan to obtain some dards to play via yet another crazed attack to seize some small chunk of turf at any cost in men and material, so far it looks like another Kursk area charge if they can first bag back part of the lost sumy borderlands. They just might goad the Rus into lighting up every airport and rail yard in the country, who knows.

be well and have a good one

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9 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
here in Portland/Vancouver metro. When we lived in LA, we called it June Gloom. But it's nearly August!
As far a current world events are concerned, I'm hoping the dollar collapse happens before we go nuclear or climate change takes us all out.
Thanks for the post.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

QMS's picture

.
It happens to be a beautiful day here.
Going to take my bike out for a ride in
celebration.
Thanks for the OT!

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4 users have voted.

Zionism is a social disease

earthling1's picture

@QMS
And sunscreen.

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5 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

QMS's picture

@earthling1

Rode down to visit a friend.
Mostly in the shade. Now recharging
the bike battery. Purposely forgot the
helmet. And sunscreen is not my thing.

Cheers!

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7 users have voted.

Zionism is a social disease

earthling1's picture

@QMS
is the law here in Washington State, even for adults. Baaaa, but they are cheap enough, and I would have to wear a hat anyway.

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3 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

QMS's picture

@earthling1

It is orange and required in the state of Mass. which is about 2 miles from here.
At least they don't require seat belts yet. Fooging insurance companies write
the rules now. The state just collects the fines.

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4 users have voted.

Zionism is a social disease

It is a hot 94 deg. here. The heat index is 112. I dread August. It is forecast to hit 100 July 31, just to get us in the mood. There is no guarantee September will be much better.
sorry your trip got cut short. Damn the luck.
Thanks for the OT, friend!

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9 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

delivered a package today, and I asked him how he endure August in that truck with no a/c. Well, all the vehicles purchases will be air conditioned, but there is no guideline or timeline on when a truck will be replaced.
Last summer a UPS driver had a heat stroke during a delivery. UPS sent him a warning and told him he didn't drink enough water. A corporation with a heart, eh?

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5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

QMS's picture

@on the cusp
-
rather than having real bathroom breaks --
piss on the fly in sake of efficiency
Sheesh. What a way to run a railroad.

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4 users have voted.

Zionism is a social disease

soryang's picture

@QMS

...class b or lower licenses, but Class A driver breaks were only two a day 15 min each. 30 min "lunch" break. All class A drivers use a piss bottle, unless their just running a day cab with short legs. If you know you're pushing the 11 hour duty day every day, until your 70 hour break, like most OTR drivers during a decent economy, you can't stop to pee. I got an old international assigned once, and there was a hole in the floor board just under where the driver's seat was. I asked another driver, what is that all about? This was a company that really pushed their drivers so they had to violate the regs. That was before electronic logs. The answer was, "oh some the drivers (males only of course) wear a catheter, so they don't have to stop at all to pee.

UPS by the way, is one of the best trucking companies because they are union. They have a hierarchy for getting promoted if one wants it. Work the docks, drive the small vans, drive the long haul, then the day cab large rigs, the doubles, and then if you're still around and smart enough you can become management. They pay better than other long hauler and trucking firms. It might not be that way any longer, but it was when I was driving. Everyone knew the UPS drivers were paid better than almost everyone else. Their day cab and double drivers were extremely skilled. Most other transport firms don't pay worth a dam. That's the rule generally. They also have the subcontractor scams, and the leasing and rent to own scams. I knew drivers that went bankrupt doing the latter.

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4 users have voted.

語必忠信 行必正直

QMS's picture

@soryang
.
my lack of knowledge on the topic
really shows. thanks for the education
have noticed how much hustle the brown
shirts display

all of my "OTR" was delivering cars and
trucks E-W and N-S on my own terms time wise
it wasn't about making a living so much as cheap
transportation. no white cross involved (mostly)

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3 users have voted.

Zionism is a social disease

soryang's picture

@QMS @QMS @QMS

I learned over about 10 years. The regular OTR haulers subcontract for Walmart, Amazon, UPS, FedEx, Roadway, etc. I learned quite a bit from doing that, and worked for a few different companies as an employee driver. They paid by the mile. The drivers I went to "trucking school" with to learn the regs on driving and driving, kept in touch for a few years, so I learned from things that happened to them. Like the "rent to own" scam, so the driver unwisely places himself in a self employed status needing to pay rent for the truck, and cover all his own expenses. Not worth it. They end up driving for nothing. At least for an employee driver they have to give you medical insurance.

I learned about UPS some from picking up trailers in their yards, and at their terminals, but after I drove a few years, I had a driving student with me, he didn't need it, he had been a driver and then a manager for UPS. After he retired from the office job there, after over 20 years, he wanted to drive again. Our trucking company policy required him to do driver training for however many hours before they'd let him solo, which was ridiculous in his case. He told me all about UPS. I never tried to work self employed trucking so I don't know much really. The guy who was Postmaster General or whatever was a former Roadway CEO. He's the one who trashed the USPS (imo). Oh yes, and Amazon sucks. Did I mention that? I think the common wisdom is that it's the truck driver who's "dumb." (edit: that would be moi).

QMS Sounds like you've been enjoying your summer. Good on you! 朋友

I found a great 1500 character dictionary online. It's unique. I thought you might like it. I don't know who maintains it, but it's great. It's free.

https://chinese.gratis/characters/

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3 users have voted.

語必忠信 行必正直

QMS's picture

@soryang
.
have bookmarked it and it will help
me transfer away from English
such a gift!

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2 users have voted.

Zionism is a social disease

@QMS want the USPS gone, even though it is guaranteed in our Constitution.
What a cluster you-know-what.

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5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

TheOtherMaven's picture

@on the cusp

"The Congress shall have Power...To establish Post Offices and post Roads..."

As long as the Supreme Court interprets this short phrase as meaning that Congress has the authority to establish and maintain a Postal Service - but if they ever change their minds, we got trouble. And everybody in government already seems to think the US Postal Service can be sabotaged seventeen ways to Sunday with impunity.

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1 user has voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.