The Federal Reserve Really Sucks

I guess that makes me a "key blogger."  Click here to read about the Fed's new intelligence gathering dragnet.

 "The solution must provide real-time monitoring of relevant conversations.  It should provide sentiment analysis (positive, negative or neutral) around key conversational topics."

  "The solution should provide an alerting mechanism that automatically sends out reports or notifications based a predefined trigger."

I'd like to state, for the record, that the Federal Reserve, and a central bank by any other name, is an abomination that should be wiped off of the face of the earth, and I hope that anyone who works for them dies of vicious ass cancer.

Been a long time...

As you probably already know if you are reading this, I started this blog last winter, when computer malfunctions prevented me from using YouTube, my primary rant-and-rave outlet.  (Click here for my channel, if there are any of you out there who don't already watch it.  Been muddling through some libertarian/anarchist philosophy lately.) 

Since getting back on YouTube last March, I haven't done as much with the blog as I would have liked.  It's kind of hard to, when I have a choice between making a 10-minute video that one or two hundred people will watch, or spending a few hours writing a blog piece that will get hits in the single digit range.

Even so, I had planned on doing some writing.  Some things are just better expressed in writing, with the benefit of proofreading, editing, and re-writing.  There are several topics that I would like to cover here.  However, I have an amazing talent for procrastination.  So there might possibly be more posts in the near future.  Or maybe not.  Probably not.  But maybe.

Local Food and Community Self Governance Ordinance

Voters of Sedgwick, Maine unanimously extend middle fingers to the State and Federal bureaucracy, and declare "food sovereignty.  Click here to read the full law.

Producers or processors of local foods in the Town of Sedgwick are exempt from licensure and inspection provided that the transaction is only between the producer or processor and a patron when the food is sold for home consumption. This includes any producer or processor who sells his or her products at farmers’ markets or roadside stands; sells his or her products through farm-based sales directly to a patron; or delivers his or her products directly to patrons.

This is the best news I have heard in ages!  It is high time for rural folks to start pushing back against the FDA (Federal Destruction of Agriculture) and it's accompanying state agencies.  Well done, Sedgwick!  Similar ordinances are already being considered in several other towns.  I just hope that the farmers of Maine are prepared to hold fast against the inevitable state and federal counterattack.

New calf born this morning.

That hairy critter in my profile picture is the daddy.  Shot some video of the little fella with my new camcorder.

Finally got my new computer.

And it is one bad mo-sheen.  Actually I got it set up on Sunday, but I didn't get around to posting anything here.  The set-up was a little tricky.  The sound didn't want to work at first, and getting it online was a nail-biter.  Took a drink of whiskey to get through that, I tell you whut.  We finally got her going though, and this thing is FAST.

Posting might be a bit slow here now that I'm back on Youtube, but I do plan to keep blogging.  I'll have some good stuff on the tube too, when I get my new camcorder sorted out.

Talk to y'all later.

I love Flea Markets

Been looking into getting set up to brew my own beer lately.  Just what I needed, another hobby.  At least this one might theoretically save me some money. (Yeah right, ha ha.)

As with any hobby, there is a surprising amount of paraphernalia and gadgets that one must have (or thinks one must have).  With brewing, there's buckets and hoses, kettles, fermenters, bottles, bottlers, bottle cleaners, caps, cappers, and tons of other stuff.  Pricing it all on the internet was making me bite my nails.

Then I went to the flea market yesterday, as per my usual Sunday routine, and what should I behold but a tall pile of stuff that looked like... brewing equipment!

I wound up picking up an eight gallon fermenter, two six or seven gallon fermenters, a bottling bucket (has a spigot on the bottom for filling bottles), an air lock, some hoses, and a box of bottle caps, all for $14.  I reckon it would have cost me at least $100 if I had bought it all new.  That was my best score in a long time.  Another guy even gave me a box of mason jars for free. 

I love flea markets.  I buy more stuff there than I do anywhere else.  Especially for items like tools, household stuff like pots and pans, and anything else that is easily re-used.  I wouldn't think of buying most of that stuff new.

I'll be brewing up a storm in no time...

Quote of the Day

From The Arctic Patriot:

"By God, liberty is mine, and I will not beg for it, I will not plead.  I will take it.  I will claim it, every day, and I resolve to live it, no matter what."

Damn straight.