Lifestyle Blogs (2,464)

I have been retired for many years now and still I find myself waking up at 4 AM - time enough to get ready for 6 AM commute to a 7 AM job start. This behavior makes no sense, but there is - firmly ingrained in my life.

Literally, over the past 6 months, I have heard of 6 different small entrepreneur being challenged to exist anymore...after 20+ years of existing. I know these people personally and I come from a small community. I wonder how widespread the issues they face is.


1. A small online reseller, in business nearly 20 years (19), the avenue in which they sell on line, the host has now increased their fees by 5%. In addition to that, states are now charging sales tax across state lines. He relied on buying online and selling online, with these new fees...he is now forced to shut down.

2. Small farms around here, after the tariffs were put in place have been struggling financially. I have heard of several of them in my areas filing for bankruptcy. I now see large farm equipment along the roads up for sale. In addition, the people who pick up milk don't want to travel to small farms just to pick up small quantities of milk.

3. The scrap iron industry is getting hit hard. Two people here locally have stopped buying/hauling scrap after the tariffs. They have been doing this business for well over 20 years. They say to me, in all the years they have been in business, the prices for scrap iron today is the lowest it has ever been.

4. There is a gentleman that has been installing ceramic tiles in excess of 20 years. He says he is still in business, but he says, that he is forced to charge his customers over 10% higher to do the same job he did before the tariffs were put in place. Because of this, he is getting fewer jobs. If this trend continues, he might be out of business sometime in the near future.

5. I just heard lately about a small bakery owner. She has been in business for over 20 years and she has been making it. As of the new year, she is now forced to comply with a new set of complex taxing rules. If she sells something at room temperature, no tax charge...above room temperature...tax collect. A person buys something and leaves, no tax. If they stay and eat at a table, no tax. If they stay and eat at a table and use a napking...collect tax. This is just a short example of the complexity of the new tax rule just put in place. It looks like she might have to go out and buy some new customized for bakery tax accounting software.
She says her profits are so thin in the first place...and questions if it is worth it.

6. The same here as with number 5. This guy has been selling used cars for as long as I can remember...20+ years. Just in the past month, he says he is done. He says it is no longer worth it. The new paperwork he is being forced to do with the new laws and the profit margin he was making, is no longer making it worthwhile to stay in business.

Now, if these people were huge businesses, I am sure they could afford making changes in accordance to the new laws and economic environments they have presented to work within. But, they are just small entrepreneurs...and that is what this blog is about.

Hello everyone in the New Year 2020. Today 02/01/2020. And I have not yet written my plan for 2020. And how do you start your new year? Are you planning for yourself the realization of your ideas and dreams or wishes for the next year? Or can you make a "wish board"? I know that many people do this. Do you just make a wish when you beat the Christmas chimes? Can you make a wish list? And do you even believe in such things? Could it just be another day for you in your life? Which is no different from the others. Do you believe in Christmas New Year magic? And at least once in your life did you manage to realize something written in the Christmas period?

I have been looking into Draconian...I have heard a lot of that word in the public media spectrum as of lately. The only other time I have heard about that word was in the reference to the residents of Draco....(Draconian). When doing YouTube searches about that word, the only thing I find is in line with what I have heard about it. It describes the Reptilian species. Listening to a few videos, there have been people who claim to be Reptilians.

I am not sure that is believable or not...I will leave that up to you.

But, this interest in Draconian, lead me to another discussion with somebody I know.

Verified...he was indeed telling me the truth. A truth, I have a hard time ever believing....but like I said, it has been verified and I have to believe it.

A person he knows and I know, claims with automatic writing, they met Sir Isaac Newton.

...this was documented in a book. The entity suggested that her husband move paint cans away from the furnace because they were a fire hazard.

Another person we know also claims that with automatic writing, they met Sir Isaac Newton.
..I have not talked directly to this person, but I am curious as to what the entity suggested to him.


Both of these people have never met each other...and never knew of each other's claims.

What are the odds of that happening? In my opinion, it is not even possible....not believable. But, indeed did happen.



Another fun fact, I am listening to a video program "In the Age of AI" on YouTube, a gentleman predicts in 15 years that AI will be replacing 50% of the existing jobs.

fun

Happy New Year 2020
For everyone here in CS

My grandmother had a ball of aluminum foil. My grandfather had a loaf of moldy bread.
As a child, I questioned these things and told it was to remember a time in their lives when things weren't so good.
During World War II, my grandmother said everything was scarce. They often washed aluminum foil and hung it to dry so it can be used again. The ball was her collection of remembrance.
My grandfather had a painting of a village and the bread was on the shelf. He remembered his time as a soldier. The troops were crawling on their bellies to avoid detection from enemy forces. They had no food and ate from the scraps found in the garbage cans.

The subject today is hoarders... (thanks Fay) and my grandmother hoarded lots of things. Mostly newspapers and magazines. In the beginning, it was for a purpose. When the purpose was no longer needed, she continued to collect things.
After her death, her house came into the care of my cousin who had the task of ridding the place of so many things. Boxes and boxes of magazines.
Was it all junk?
I'm sure some of her Hollywood movie magazines were collectable. Not much more than that. It's doubtful my cousin found any value in them and they ended up in a dump.

...unable to hold down a job long term (fights with short term bottom line cretinoid administrators), the last years of my work were done travelling---filling in for vacationing folks, shortages of staff, or in just plain old crappy work environments. No longer than a few weeks, each assignment, but called back for repeat gigs. Brought the skis and hiking gear, when timed right. Name my price work, but have spent my Christmas and NY time away, working. Nice staff sometimes invited me over, but basically alone. Better being here with family, friends and Bravo. The money wasn't worth it in retrospect.

I have lately been making enquiries about computers, with a view to buying a new one. Apart from a small amount of frustrating and mostly fruitless research online, my investigations have taken place in two branches of Currys PC World; the leading national electrical goods chain.

When asking so called experts about technical things of which I have only a basic knowledge, I have learnt from experience that it is better to pretend I know even less. The “experts”, however -whether it be from their experience or a result of their training- have learnt to do the opposite. There usually seems to be some sort of equation at play, whereby the extent to which I appear to be lacking in knowledge brings about an increase in their pretence of having more of it, in direct proportion. Anyway, after being led up two distinctly different garden paths by two different sales assistants, I wasn’t really left any the wiser about what technical specifications would best suit my needs.

Once all the talk of gigabytes, processor speeds and a multitude of other computing terms designed to make your head spin have become too much to bear, and you are reconciled to leaving the store with something that will only match your requirements if luck happens to be on your side on that particular day, you are then expected to submit to having your intelligence insulted by being presented with a choice of “sales packages” all of which comprise a combination of elements meant to impress you while not actually being what you want. If you want X and Y as part of your package, you will also have to pay for Z, even though you might not know what Z is, or what it’s for, let alone need it. Besides, whether you need it or not, how can you miss out on getting Z for that amazing price? You can, of course, insist on having the package without Z; after all, they are hardly likely to refuse to sell you the computer, but then you will be charged more for X and Y.

There is wisdom in the saying, “buy in haste, repent at leisure”, but with computers, you can spend the best part of a whole day buying one and still have plenty of leisurely repentance to look forward to.

As they're in the process of destroying them self

...(Actually had one years ago.), many of us could use a little work on our virtue broadcasting. Especially me and my many conservative qualities. But many on the left are surprised to find out how these often dovetail with their own, at least the ones they PROFESS to have. Do as we say, not as we do. But don't take my words for it. Check out the comparative studies done on the charitable tendencies of liberals, using valid methodologies, as opposed to those on the other end of the political spectrum. Or be invited to the home of some limousine liberals, and unless there's some reason to impress you, the fare is often sparse. Right here, we see these folks whipping around accusations of other's insensitivities to the less fortunate, avering that we ueber right Patriots think only of our own wealth. Of course, these are the same folks who whip about terms like racism, and words ending in phobia. And recall the Clintons' trying to use old undies as tax deductions. But I digress. Our high tax town is mostly run by liberals. many of the volunteer activities for the less fortunate here are often spearheaded by my right wing associates. Public access to the ocean on rights-of-way, 12 step groups in corrections centers, a food pantry/soup kitchen, and so on. At a recent first meeting of a group exploring the creation of a homeless shelter here, there were only a few NIMBY concerns raised. Guess from whom? And those neighborhood property owners abutting the (now deeded, established, signage marked) paths to the bay were mostly limousine libs. Early Prius drivers all. Can't make this stuff up.