Open Thread - 3-27-2026 - Bookends
Good Morning
First calf of the season on the ground, a bullock, red like his mother. Dexter throw small calves. I needed to move him to another pasture and he is small enough for me to lift. The 80 to 100 lb calves were getting too hard for me to handle without assistance. Looking forward to making a variety of cheeses this season.
No nectarines or peaches this year. Enjoyed the blooms signaling spring had arrived. A few blooms survived the 22 degree night, last night was 16 degrees none survived. Typical, I consider them ornamentals for a short bloom in spring and beautiful fall color.
The Marine deployment to the Middle East brought an image to my mind of Bookends. Beginning with the first deployment in Northern Africa to attempt regime change; secure free, safe passage of US merchant ships and a prisoner exchange. Then this current deployment to Iran for an attempt at regime change; safe passage of US and US allies merchant ships. It feels like the closing of a chapter.
It is Friday and markets are closed for a couple of days, so expect am expecting another round of "surprise" by US and the one Allie in the "not a war".
I am following George W Bush's advice from the Iraq war. My money spending patterns, including shopping choices are a method to support a conflict and the instigators expected outcome.
Attended a business management training session last weekend at the request of a client. It had been over 20 years since I attended a class at a conference or in-house training focused on management practices. Small group spread out across three locations. The live presentation in Southern California with remote attendance in Oregon and the Philippines handled with screen share program and Zoom video of participants.
In the 80's we would do similar meetings with speaker phones for groups, then in 90's progressed to a modem line for computer presentation with phoneline for voice and migrated to total interaction over internet as technology changed. Practices do not seem to change as rapidly as terminology.
First introduction to EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) a simplified management system using multiple trademarked phrases with slick training material and multiple software support tools to use on a daily basis. Their main webpage indicate over 280,000 businesses are using the management system. Been exposed to similar management practices, never one so simplistic with no focus on customers, improving institutional knowledge or quality. Also, removed "Leadership team" from responsibility for actions of employees and Virtual Assistants (VA) if there was a problem with assigned tasks. Nearly half of the participants were using ChatGPT live during the presentation. Presenter mentioned multiple times if we had specific questions we should ask ChatGPT.
Outsourcing core business functions is a continuing trend, moving deeper into small business and healthcare. The terms are Virtual Assistants and software support systems. A growing number of Virtual Assistants are located in other countries using remote access tools. One requirement is a large English speaking population and growth in occurring in India, The Philippines, Mexico and South Africa.
Do not think a VA counts as a job.
Powell: There is ZERO NET JOB CREATION in the Private Sector Armstrong Economics March 23, 2023
Jerome Powell finally said out loud what the revisions have been quietly showing for months. During his March 18 press conference, Powell said that “effectively there’s zero net job creation in the private sector” over roughly the past six months after adjusting for what Fed staff view as overstatement in the payroll data. He added that the economy appears to be in a “zero employment growth equilibrium,” which he tied to virtually nonexistent labor-force growth. Those comments came directly from the Fed chair,
Does a decrease in understanding complex systems lead to incomplete solutions?
Everything You Need to Know About the Foreign-Made Router Ban in the US Wire March 24, 2026
he Federal Communications Commission has banned new consumer internet routers manufactured outside the US, citing national security concerns. The ban doesn’t affect any routers already in American homes or currently on sale in the US, but all new routers aimed at the consumer market will need to be approved.
...
“Malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft,” the FCC wrote. “Foreign-made routers were also involved in the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks targeting vital US infrastructure.”Foreign-made consumer routers were added to the Covered List, which details equipment and services “deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.”
Bogdan Botezatu, director of Threat Research at cybersecurity firm Bitdefender, says this ban is a step to harden the cybersecurity readiness of US households, given ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Most US remote workers (VA) use routers sold in the consumer market. Seems reasonable as a step to prevent a security breach using as an access point a router in someones home. Problem solved.
Um what about all the VAs accessing US internal business software systems daily using their home router located in a foreign country?
Comments
Hey, good morning
.
Glad to hear your first calf of the season came out alright.
Like you, spring is on hold as we experience sub-freezing temps.
I know nothing about VA's or routers for that matter. I have a few
devices which are in our home WIFI range which is fed by a box
connected to a cable outside. Seems secure enough, but who knows?
Thanks for carrying on the open thread tradition here.
Zionism is a social disease
VA was confusing at first
then realized it was not artificial intelligence. Virtual Assistant is the new term for what we used to call a contract worker, consultant, independent contractor or 1099 employee. All or part of their job may be done remotely from the business. Since most mid-sized businesses have outsourced legal, accounting, marketing the types of jobs being replaced are receptionist, appointment scheduler and other office staff type tasks. It is reminiscent of the time software development companies were encouraged to replace the software coders or IT department with personnel located in India.
The next step cost cutters would like is simply replacement of human employees with artificial intelligence. Fortunately still some issues.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Good morning, soe!
Good news on the baby birthing! I understand the price for beeves is ridiculously high. Local ranchers are making bank at the auction. We do not have any dairy cattle to speak of in this part of Texas. I don't even know what breeds of dairy cattle are being promoted. When I was a very young child, we had a couple of Jersey milk cows, and Mom churned butter, made buttermilk, and on rare occasions, made cheese. They were mostly used for rescuing beef cattle babes that lost their moms.
As for nectarines and peaches, my luck was awful. Year after year, the carefully tended trees would burst with blooms. Then one windy night in March would blow off every single bloom in a couple of hours. I finally gave up and cut them down. In 15 years, I got exactly 1 yield.
I intend to write about my latest experience with a VA chat in my OT tomorrow. I will be skipping the huge annual State Bar 3 day presentation on the integration of AI being held in Austin.
As usual, organizing my sock drawer is much more important.
Thanks for the OT, friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Starting to understand how AI
(artificial intelligence) will initially replace jobs in the US. Nearly very query last weekend regarding business structure recommended replacing an employee with lower cost Virtual Assistants. Often followed offering to provide a plan to find and hire Virtual Assistants outside the US. The only employees retrained were the ones doing billable physical labor and the business owner identified for the visionary role. In the EOS management system a visionary is big picture, drives the culture and generating ideas. Others do the nitty gritty. The structure reminded me of the current governing process in many government levels, including white house.
Dexter produce less than half the milk of a good Jersey. Small enough volume I don't get over whelmed and have the option of just letting one calf nurse. Adults are about size of a yearling of a fast growing beef breed. Smart like a Jersey, less temperamental.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
It is insideous.
Trust a bot receptionist. Trust an AI bot to condense a voluminous deposition to its essence. Save money, time, eliminate staff, but double check everything because you could get disbarred.
It might work in manufacturing, but in The Professions: Lawyers, physicians, accountants, dentists, it doesn't work. Trust your judgement. It doesn't work.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
All this and we have not yet gotten to the typical Friday
night news dump!
.
The rest of the tweet:
Well....
Appears Trump's 10 day cease fire lasted 4 hours
before being destroyed. Increases pressure for a ground invasion further increasing the sentiment of US civilian population and political class.
Thanks for keeping us up to date.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Nothing to worry about were in good hands. /S
It looks as if the response to today's events has begun!
The rest of the tweet:
My peach and Apricot trees
haven't bloomed yet. So still have a chance for fruit. 26 is the lowest temp for the last couple of months.
Unless we get a surprise cold front in the next few weeks, it will be considered a mild winter/spring.
I have 24 various tomato plants grown from seed under the lights that are almost a foot tall. they gotta go outside to harden soon, as I need the lights to germinate other crops.
AS for G. Bush and his "go shopping" BS, I'm am shopping, but for hard items that I know will go up in price shortly.
Things like diesel and motor oil that don't have a best by date. And a renewed fishing license.
Slowly changing my greenbacks into stuff that doesn't lose value.
Have you seen the price of Tide powdered laundry soap lately? $25 for a smaller box, if you can find it.
Markets are switching to Tide liquid in bottles and no longer stock powdered.
Doesn't seem right that calves always come on the coldest nights.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
These trees have been confused for years
at least they seem to have realized February is not a good idea. My other trees do not provide the vibrant fall color, so I enjoy them in a different manner. No longer have to do a trip to the valley for fall color.
Last December just finished a multiyear project replacing all the gas engine tools with electric models, including my lawn mower/utility cart. Use the zero turn to cut grass and haul small loads. still need to set up the solar charging option. Prebought some tires, batteries and replacement parts for key equipment. If no theft should be good for a couple of years at least. I am so annoyed having to consider government instigated shortages and increased costs.
Would not mind being as robust as those calves.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.