The CAMELS nose is under the tent?

Ah fuck it ... I got nothin'.

Bad Dawg Bobby wrote:

I'm surprized TPTB have so much "control" over the Banking system.

No control, just blissful ignorance (aka suspension of FASB 157).

No control, just blissful ignorance (aka suspension of FASB 157).

And friends in high places ...

a boat that would be large enough to travel to Venezuela from Florida

If you island hop you can use a canoe.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

If you island hop you can use a canoe.

Don Starkell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On June 1, 1980, he and his two sons, Dana and Jeff Starkell set out on an epic canoe journey from Winnipeg to Belem, Brazil. The trip followed the Red River to its headwaters south of Fargo, North Dakota. From there the canoists portaged to the Minnesota River and then continued down the Mississippi River to the Intracoastal Waterway at La Rose, Louisiana. They followed the Waterway south to Mexico, then skirted the coast of Mexico to Veracruz where they spent three and a half months (November 1980 to mid February 1981) to recover from the journey to date, a journey that had been—and would continue to be—fraught with difficulty. By this time, Jeff Starkell decided to abandon the adventure and Donald and Dana continued on alone. They paddled along the rest of Mexico and Central America to South America. Off the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia they were beset by modern pirates but escaped. They almost died on the Gulf of Coro, Venezuela after being trapped on a sandbar by strong headwinds as their food supplies ran out. Eventually, on October 14, 1981 they made land at Port of Spain, Trinidad, where they recuperated for six weeks. On New Years Day, 1982, they set off from Port of Spain and three days later crossed the Columbus Channel to Venezuela. There, at Pedernales, they entered the delta of the Orinoco River. Over the next two months they paddled virtually the entire length of the Orinoco to Tama Tama where they entered the Casiquiare canal, the only natural canal in the world. Via this route they reached the Rio Negro and then the Amazon River at Manaus, Brazil. From Manaus, they paddled downriver to the Atlantic coast. The journey ended at Belem on May 2, 1982.

In 1986, the names of Don Starkell and his son Dana were entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for having completed the longest canoe journey ever, a distance of 12,181 miles (19,603 kilometres).

Presently us Iowans are atwitter about this sex scandal, which plays into the hands of our governor...that teachers are BAAAAD. Turns out tho, the lover is a decorated Army captain. We are certainly titillated and paying attention to other really important stuff going on in the state, which is par for the course. Here's are stateside gossip:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120707/NEWS/120707004/Updated-Army-captain-relieved-of-command-over-Nancy-Sebring-emails?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

On June 1, 1980, he and his two sons, Dana and Jeff Starkell set out on an epic canoe journey from Winnipeg to Belem, Brazil. The trip followed the Red River to its headwaters south of Fargo, North Dakota. From there the canoists portaged to the Minnesota River and then continued down the Mississippi River to the Intracoastal Waterway at La Rose, Louisiana. They followed the Waterway south to ...

Man I have heard of people desperate to escape 'The Peg' but that takes the cake. One thing for sure - after having experienced 'the flies' in Manitoba there is little the swamps of Central America or Amazonia could throw at them.

Presently us Iowans are atwitter about this sex scandal, which plays into the hands of our governor...that teachers are BAAAAD...

Don't get me going on Gov. Braindead.

dryfly wrote:

there is little the swamps of Central America or Amazonia could throw at them.

Oh, I don't know,...

The Straight Dope: Can the candirú fish swim upstream into your urethra?

sdtfs wrote:

The Straight Dope: Can the candirú fish swim upstream into your urethra?

i'd love to know what fraction of men who read this, grabbed their junk in protective reaction.

edit: assuming that the men knew what their urethra is ("depends on what is is, i guess).

Paradigm Lost wrote:

It's killin' ma tomato blossoms and that really pisses me off 'cause I wait all year for them vine-ripened babies. Damn!

Keep the soil moist and avoid watering the foliage. Put down some mulch, bark, or newspapers to hold the moisture. A bit of shade during the hottest part of the day will help, but isn't absolutely necessary. Tomatoes can be hardier than you think.

dryfly wrote:

That town is a one lighter

When I was growing up there, there were no lights. 1,200 residents and dropping. 23 in my high school graduation class.

I looked up the history of the bank on the Profinium website. Their growth "required" them to build a new building in 2003. I recognize all the bank presidents names until the most recent three. Those are new and none from "old" family names. So it looks like some ambitious, but inexperienced types, from out of town decided to leverage up and that didn't work out so well.

Paradigm Lost wrote:

Flowers, herbs are blooming and seeding way ahead of normal -- about 4-6 weeks. I'll have nothing by the end of August through Sept.

don't forget to move Thanksgiving (harvest feast) up by a couple months.

I looked up the history of the bank on the Profinium website. Their growth "required" them to build a new building in 2003. I recognize all the bank presidents names until the most recent three. Those are new and none from "old" family names. So it looks like some ambitious, but inexperienced types, from out of town decided to leverage up and that didn't work out so well.

Ya I bet they all came in from the 'big city' ... Mankato.

Portland week ahead forecast:

S: 86/58
S: 88/60
M: 85/56
T: 84/56
W: 86/56
Th: 82/55
F: 81/54
S: 80/47

The cool nights and mornings are nirvana.

JimPortlandOR wrote:

The cool nights and mornings are nirvana.

Summer time in the Cascades can NOT be beat. The best around.

picosec wrote:

Wouldn't know where to buy a spool of thread.

JoAnn. Still a big retail presence.

Feckless: I'd love to have a long autumn...my favorite season, but IA can have those unexpected freezes, which would be enough to kill 'em dead. Where are you? In the Midwest??

La La Land. So. CA.

Feckless Ness wrote:

JoAnn. Still a big retail presence.

Can't walk to it.

Summer time in the Cascades can NOT be beat. The best around.

What surprised me about Seattle when I moved here is there are virtually no bugs (biting or otherwise). You would think a climate like ours (relatively mild temps..lots of precip and standing water) would be a breeding ground for them..but for some reason..no.

We picnicked at the local lake yesterday..pretty cool to see a bald eagle skimming across the water looking for lake trout.

Mike_PNW wrote:

pretty cool to see a bald eagle skimming across the water looking for lake trout.

Or an Ospra fishing a stretch of River.

Mike_PNW wrote:

there are virtually no bugs (biting or otherwise). You would think a climate like ours (relatively mild temps..lots of precip and standing water) would be a breeding ground for them..but for some reason..no.

Same for Portland: it IS a mystery. I told my sis in western burbs of Chicago this and she couldn't believe it. She says their mosquitos are B-52 sized and numerous - no outdoors after dusk.

http://i.imgur.com/Ntrf5.png

Same for Portland:

The gf and I are going to be down there in a couple weeks (celebrating her birthday). Got any "36 hours in Portland" recommendations for me (we'll be staying dt).

Sheets on the ready, dryfly. Thanks. I'm no gardener. What I do is for the love of food. I throw it in the ground and pray it comes up. So any advice given, is sincerely appreciated from you and Feckless.

It's hell to be a foodie with a brown thumb.

"Hey there's always Iowa. "

Yep, never expected to land here. But my SO (the Iowan) says that with climate chaos we just may become the garden spot of the U.S.

BTW, we've had virtually no skeeters this year. Slapped my first one a coupla days ago.

P.S. Will cut back on the feeding, dryfly. Thought they might need it with the heat.

Mike_PNW wrote:

What surprised me about Seattle when I moved here is there are virtually no bugs (biting or otherwise). You would think a climate like ours (relatively mild temps..lots of precip and standing water) would be a breeding ground for them..but for some reason..no.

Down here (OR coast) we do get some kinds of annoying insects (& some mosquitoes) during very wet springs/early summers, mostly in & around areas that are seasonal wetlands. Met some "hosts" of South Beach state park campground (Newport) who complained about all the flying insects in the campground. Further inland, in the coast range, will also see some gnats & lots of flies where there is livestock. And ticks.

I see many more spiders (numbers & varieties) here then I did on LI but I like spiders so it's a plus for me.

But biting/blood sucking insect population is nothing like northern MI or eastern MA.

Troyski: Muppets are deleveraging. I know for a fact everyone around here is paying down debt.

P.S. Will cut back on the feeding, dryfly. Thought they might need it with the heat.

They will need water now - not so much the ground is always wet or they rot but not too dry too long, not in this heat.

The fertilizer thing is that if too much nitrogen they just grow greens and no fruit. So limit it. Need K and P too...

I heard the total opposite is true. Use high nitrogen fertilizer early on to promote green growth and then switch to high phosphorous fertilizer upon bloom to encourage more fruits and flowers. If you're growth area is large, use higher numbered fertilizers. I think that for indoor plants or smaller crops outdoors, fertilizers with high numbers isn't necessary. For that, stick with something like a 6-4-4 at vegetative stage, then 2-8-4 at blooming stage.

Best Fertilizer Mix? | HelpfulGardener.com

Google is you friend...

Is there any part of Iowa that isn't startlingly flat? Prairies depress me.

True prairie is beautiful but rarer than virgin old growth timber.

And yes there is hilly regions in Iowa just not where Paradigm lives... Eastern Iowa near the Mississippi and western Iowa near the Missouri - both with beautiful oak savanna. In between it's flat factory farming as far a the eye can see.

dryfly wrote:

Eastern Iowa near the Mississippi and western Iowa near the Missouri

Which has the milder winter or is less prone to flooding?

Eastern Iowa near the Mississippi and western Iowa near the Missouri
Which has the milder winter or is less prone to flooding?

There is some difference - east to west but not a lot. The big difference is between micro climates. Just a few miles a part and whether a north facing slope or south can make a huge difference in temperature and how arid it is.

I think tomatoes need the temp at night to get below 73-75F in order for the blossoms to set fruit. If you get a cool snap you should get a batch to set. Mine are doing okay here but we haven't been as hot as the rest of the country.

Unlike the wind farms on the drive eastward through Pipestone to Holland MN, the 90 year old great uncle who lives there is looking... well... great. I told him I expect to see him again for his 91st! He better not disappoint me

DISMANTLE THE TBTF BANKS | The Big Picture

Barry Ritholtz has the chops to tell it like it is but CR continues to stick head in sand

And the attraction to retiring there is... what?

Plenty cheap. Surprising factoid is that Iowa has one of the highest percentages of elderly anywhere in the US. Two reasons 1. Cheap place to live on a fixed income 2. Kids leave.

Paradigm Lost wrote:

Bottom line: It was family.

Damned family, can't live with them but can't let'em die either. You're a good kid!!!

dryfly wrote:

Plenty cheap. Surprising factoid is that Iowa has one of the highest percentages of elderly anywhere in the US. Two reasons 1. Cheap place to live on a fixed income 2. Kids leave.

Where should we go for vacation this year honey?
(Kids, in unison) IOWA!!

Where should we go for vacation this year honey?
(Kids, in unison) IOWA!!

Not Okaboji? Please don't tell me it's Okaboji.

dryfly wrote:

Not Okaboji? Please don't tell me it's Okaboji.

I only go there for the alien abductions

Paradigm Lost wrote:

My hometown is more like southern Cal now.

Give or take 30 degrees.

Paradigm Lost wrote:

Problem is: Selling your house here didn't translate into a paid-off house in FL, AZ or CA

The house I grew up in, in Southern MN was recently listed for sale at $24,000. 900 Sq. Ft., full basement, attic, Three bedrooms & one bath. It worked well for Mom, Dad, my brother and I, plus Grandma in the little bedroom in later years. My folks paid $5,500 on a VA loan in 1955, so not a lot of appreciation.

Paradigm Lost wrote:

Yes, there is that, too. You can live fairly good on a fixed income.

Who needs to live well somewhere if there's nothing for the neighbors to envy?

The neighbors and the tax man judge you by the outside of your house, not the inside.

"so not a lot of appreciation. "

That's right, mhdoc. I like to live debt-free. Have done so for decades now. The crash would've been a good time to buy, but muppets like me hafta sell the existing house & then roll the cash over, and therein lies the problem. I have no farm to sell. Wish I did.

The house I grew up in, in Southern MN was recently listed for sale at $24,000. 900 Sq. Ft., full basement, attic, Three bedrooms & one bath.

Up here in N Wisco saw an advert for a one bedroom apartment near lakes for $300 per month - utilities included.

Duke Energy CEO To Receive $44 Million Payout Despite Resigning On His First Day | ThinkProgress

dryfly wrote:

Up here in N Wisco saw an advert for a one bedroom apartment near lakes for $300 per month - utilities included.

Changes the whole definition of 'living wage', doesn't it?

ResistanceIsFeudal wrote:

Changes the whole definition of 'living wage', doesn't it?

Bingo!

Jul. 06 2012,

“Have a relaxing summer – you’ll need it.”

That’s how The Economist concludes this story on data showing that September is clearly the most likely month of the year for a financial crisis to erupt."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/rob-carricks-reader-have-a-relaxing-summer-youll-need-it/article4394264/

Paradigm Lost wrote:

.but no one 'round here knows what it is.

I always comment to people how SoCal screws with your wealth perceptions. Here everyone has a foreign car, Porsches, Bimmers & Benz are plentiful, and you see exotics at least once a day. Oh, and if you played "slug bug" with Prius sightings you'd be black and blue after three blocks.

Last year when we road-tripped it was like an entirely different country car-wise outside of California. I think we ran across one 911 on the roads between Scottsdale and Chicago, for example.

Last year when we road-tripped it was like an entirely different country car-wise outside of California. I think we ran across one 911 on the road between Scottsdale and Chicago.

I bet you saw a pickup truck or two.

ResistanceIsFeudal - Damn those expensive microbrews!

Ah, just find the ones you like and brew your own.
The strongest beers cost me around 40 cents a pint. Meads on the other hand, honey is getting really expensive.

dry, I bet my statue of Dale Earnhart is bigger than yours.

I'd laugh if I wasn't crying...

Why Gold is soaring ???

It is hard to write about a market that has such quick swings.

You got to think long term.

Fiscal cliff uncertainty may cloud future jobs reports - Jul. 6, 2012

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) --" House Republicans blame the disappointing June jobs report on President Obama's "failed policies." Senate Democrats blame Republicans for engaging in "empty, partisan exercises that will not create one job."
And neither party in Congress appears ready to do the one thing experts say Congress could do to improve the outlook for jobs -- cut a bipartisan deal on the "fiscal cliff."

The fiscal cliff represents trillions of dollars in poorly conceived spending cuts and tax increases that start to go into effect in January.
Lawmakers can't control for all the potential headwinds that can hurt hiring -- such as the turmoil in Europe or the pace of economic growth globally.

But they can choose to clear up the uncertainty about U.S. fiscal policy. Problem is almost no one expects them to do so before the November elections."

rest goes to beer and lottery tickets.

those weekends in Hurley get a bit expensive too..

those weekends in Hurley get a bit expensive too..

No kidding. That's why I only go to Rhinelander.

Duke Energy CEO To Receive $44 Million Payout Despite Resigning On His First Day | ThinkProgress

I have seen everything now. Everything. $5.5 million/hr.

Duke Energy CEO To Receive $44 Million Payout Despite Resigning On His First Day | ThinkProgress

I have seen everything now. Everything. $5.5 million/hr.

What do you have against 'Job Creators'?

dryfly wrote:

What do you have against 'Job Creators'?

I guess we had to give up the old 'value creation' propaganda... the proles must have gotten wise to it. At least 'job' doesn't necessarily imply any value. What will we call them next time around (besides M'Lord)?

We're going to go visit some friends for a bit. It was super slow at work today. Really bad. See ya'll later.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

We're going to go visit some friends for a bit. It was super slow at work today. Really bad. See ya'll later.

Y? WE HAZ RECOVEREE + HOUSING BOTTOM!

Outsider - ThinkProgress has mislead all of their readers with this article.

Are you going to let facts get in the way of a good story and

ThinkProgress has mislead all of their readers with this article. I don't imagine they are entirely clueless about the facts, it's probably intentional.

That's a relief. I bet every manager who was made redundant by the merger and worked there that long got $44MM, right?

Outsider wrote:

"We are recovering from ever thinking this is going to get better, and housing in one big pain in the @ss."

TJ's comments above suggest otherwise.

"How would you like to be min wage in LA. South Central? Or East LA maybe? "

True. But at one time, jobs were more plentiful elsewhere. That's why all the kids leave. They're following jobs and the money. Since the crash, it's hard all over.

Yeah and if whoever made the comment thinks that people are in fact disgusted by the 24-hour aspect of the story, he is severely misled...

TJ and The Bear wrote:

Always been that way here, though. Even those that can't afford them pretend that they can.

Yep.

?

Pretty much any organization with "citizens" or "progress" in their name you can dismiss as a bunch of bs...

But an Energy Company, I'd take them at their word.

time for some gamin' ...later

Percent Job Losses: Great Recession and Great Depression

Living in this part of the country is better on minimum wage then the Big buck states. Besides housing there is lots of wage adjusted services here like dentistry. Lots of free food banks, cloths etc. Charity is a big business here. Problem is most of these people won't put any effort into their lives, that's the only difference between me and them.